As part of the start-up incubator run by the Centre des Monuments Nationaux, Lumeen is taking on the challenge of making French monuments accessible to hospitalized patients and residents of nursing homes.

Lumeen develops and markets a medical and recreational device designed for the healthcare and social care sectors. It offers immersive virtual reality experiences to improve well-being, foster social connection, reduce anxiety, pain, behavioral disorders, and the use of medication.

Selected to join the Centre des Monuments Nationaux incubator, Lumeen will, within this framework, produce a virtual tour of the famous Château d’If—an impregnable fortress guarding the entrance to Marseille’s bay and the legendary setting of Alexandre Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo.

A cooperative production method has been developed to combine the curatorial expertise of the Centre des Monuments Nationaux’s cultural mediators, Lumeen’s knowledge of sensitive and vulnerable audiences, and the technical know-how of the Adventice team.

The result is a powerful experience for people who are no longer able to travel but still long for cultural activities and moments of escape. Already distributed in more than 500 healthcare and social care facilities across Europe, these immersive experiences bring thousands of people every day into the heart of the mysteries of the emblematic island of Marseille—a romantic setting so dear to the author of The Three Musketeers.

Other virtual monument tours will emerge from this initiative, providing a concrete response to the challenge of making cultural heritage accessible to all.