Digital visitor guide system Nürtingen

TourComm develops new visitor guidance system for the city of Nürtingen

The town of Nürtingen, located around 30 kilometres south-east of Stuttgart, is part of the economically strong Stuttgart region. The town is characterised by its historic old town with numerous half-timbered houses and the imposing St. Laurentius town church - Nürtingen's landmark that can be seen from afar. As an educational centre with the University of Applied Sciences (HfWU) and a diverse cultural offering, Nürtingen attracts people from the entire region and beyond. Thanks to its central location and proximity to the Swabian Alb, the city is also a popular destination for tourist excursions.

For the year 2025, the city of Nürtingen planned to develop a new concept for a modern visitor guidance system. The aim of this project was to create a uniform, clear and appealing signage system that would enable both residents and visitors to find their way around the city centre more easily. In particular, the tourist attractions in the old town and the surrounding area were to be highlighted in order to make it easier to visit the sights and increase the overall attractiveness of the city centre.

Assessment and needs analysis

The project kicked off in November 2024 with a comprehensive inventory of the existing tourist signage. The existing signs were recorded and documented in real time using a GIS system. This was followed by a joint kick-off workshop with the client and the relevant municipal departments. During this workshop, all pedestrian visitor sources and POIs to be included in the future signage system were identified and prioritised. This interdisciplinary exchange formed the basis for a signage system that is both functionally convincing and widely accepted by the administration and the population.

Signposting network and location planning

Based on the results of the workshop, TourComm developed a comprehensive signposting network that links all relevant pedestrian sources with the defined POIs. This made it possible to identify central nodes and strategically determine the locations for the signposting elements. The practical implementation of the signposting system was again monitored by various specialist departments.

Design concept

An essential part of the project was also the development of an overall design concept for the planned signage elements. In addition to the route signage, designs for destination signage were also developed to ensure a consistent and harmonious appearance throughout the city. The design is consistently based on the corporate design manual of the city of Nürtingen and thus ensures a uniform visual appearance with a high recognition value.