Krems — The Alchemist's Lost Codex
Uncover the hidden alchemical laboratory of a 17th‑century winemaker‑alchemist and solve the coded recipes that could unlock a forgotten elixir.
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
In the 17th century, Krems an der Donau was more than a wine‑growing town: it was a secret hub of alchemical experimentation, where local vintners doubled as philosophers of the arcane
Krems — The Alchemist's Lost Codex
You are Giambattista Gozzoburg, Venetian merchant and secret alchemist, newly arrived in Krems circa 1540.
You arrive at Steiner Tor, a 1
Dive into the alchemical secrets of Krems an der Donau, where Venetian Renaissance merchants hid their formulas in the Gothic stones of the UNESCO Wachau valley.
A game, a guided tour and a heritage guide — all in one
You're not just buying an escape game. You're carrying a living guide — historical anecdotes, forgotten legends, key monuments, hidden architecture — unfolding as you go.
At each stop, places ordinary guides miss — secret façades, sculpted crests, alleys steeped in history.
Every riddle is rooted in a real historical fact or local legend. You leave with dozens of stories to tell.
Learn to read buildings — flamboyant Gothic, Baroque, Art Deco — like a real art historian, while having fun.
Walk through the city like a novel's character — every alley becomes a stage, every square a theatre.
A voice walks with you at every step, tells the story of each place, reads clues, adds a cinematic feel.
Keep access to the guide & game for 1 year. Come back any time, share it with friends.
« You will not leave this city the way you entered it. »
How does it work?
Explore the city on foot solving puzzles based on real historical facts. No locked room — the city is your playground.
No app to download. Play directly from your browser. Guided step by step, at your own pace.
One purchase per phone is enough. Play with family, friends or as a couple — everyone participates.
Point your phone at the façade: a historical character appears and speaks to you in your language. Golden letters magically write themselves on the wall to reveal the puzzle answer.
Stuck? Progressive personalised hints. The character repeats the puzzle on demand — at your own pace.
French, English, German, Spanish, Italian + 27 other languages auto-translated by AI.
Want to go deeper?
Places tied to your adventure — optional entries, totally up to you · per person
The story that haunts this land
Krems an der Donau flourished in the 13th century as a commercial crossroads between Venice and the Germanic Empire. The Steiner Tor, a 12-meter-high limestone fortified gate, marks the southwest entrance to this medieval city where Italian merchants settled from 1200. Giambattista Gozzoburg arrived around 1490 in this town of already 3000 inhabitants, attracted by the river trade of wine and oriental spices ascending the Danube from Constantinople.
Obere Landstraße, the 450-meter-long main artery, becomes the theater of your first alchemical discoveries. Bordered by 16th-century bourgeois houses with painted facades (Lüftlmalerei), this street paved with local sandstone since 1920 preserves the atmosphere of the medieval weekly market. Gozzoburg established his trading post there in 1540, hiding his secret laboratories in the vaulted cellars that communicate beneath the roadway.
Your Renaissance palace, the Gozzoburg built in 1540, reveals the extent of your Venetian fortune. This 28-meter facade by 35 meters deep, 14 meters high to the cornice, hides the true alchemy workshops in its interior courtyard with galleries. Inscribed on the UNESCO Wachau World Heritage list since 2000, this palace has housed the City Museum since 1960, displaying your recovered instruments: alembics, retorts and encrypted manuscripts.
Pfarrkirche St. Veit, Gothic parish church founded in 1270, raises its 56-meter octagonal bell tower visible from the Danube. Its 42-meter-long by 24-meter-wide nave preserves the 1520 altarpiece, work of the Danubian painting school where Gozzoburg had alchemical symbols engraved in the golden ornaments. The terraced vineyards on 45-60° slopes, cultivated since the 12th century over 1500 hectares, produce the Grüner Veltliner and Riesling you used in your experiments.
At the end of this journey through Krems, you take away more than a solved enigma: understanding of this Danubian Renaissance where Venetian commerce, late Gothic art and occult sciences mingled. The 180-meter-wide Danube quays, developed in the 19th century over 2.8 km, offer the final panorama of this Wachau valley where Gozzoburg lived 70 years, leaving in every stone of Krems traces of his secret research between alchemy and international trade.
The Route
8 sites to explore by car within the day
The gameplay: AR, camera, hidden clues
At each stop, open your phone camera: an augmented reality character appears on the façade and speaks your language. Hunt the clue — it materializes as golden letters on the real wall or floats in front of you. When you find it, the phone vibrates, an AR chest opens and reveals your answer fragment. 8 stops, 8 clues to find with the camera, 1 final code.
The stops on your route are a surprise. You'll discover them one by one, guided by your phone, starting from the meeting point.
How does it work with a group?
One phone = one team. Pick the number at checkout (1 to 10).
Solo, or a group sharing the screen. One team, one code.
Family, couple, or 2-3 teams competing. Each phone has its own code and its own score.
Friends, bachelor/bachelorette, small office outing — each their own code, each plays at their own pace. Tiered pricing then €6 flat per phone from the 6th.
- ✓All codes are independent — play at the same time OR separately, each team advances at its own pace.
- ✓Leaderboard between your teams + global game leaderboard — each score appears in the public ranking.
- ✓More than 10 phones or need a personalized quest? Discover custom tours.
Ready to live this adventure?
Get my code · 14,90€No calendar booking. Code sent immediately by email.
🔒 Secure payment · Code in 5 min · Free cancellation
Practical info
Why this route?
Medieval Alchemy
Decode the symbols of the ancient science of transmutation and elixirs.
Wine Route
Journey through vineyards and cellars, cradles of forgotten knowledge and ancient traditions.
Danube Manuscript
Find fragments of a lost codex along the river, a source of inspiration and trade.
True gold is not in metal, but in hidden knowledge.
Lessons in alchemy and viticulture along the Danube.
9 features nobody else has
OddballTrip combines gamified play, augmented reality and AI. All our competitors deliver 1 or 2 of these angles. We deliver all 5.
AR treasure chest
A golden chest floats in front of the monument. Tap → opening animation → reveals a secret message.
AR narrator character
Point your phone at the façade: a knight, witch, monk, sailor, detective or ghost appears full-screen and speaks to you in your language with their dedicated ElevenLabs voice (each character has their own unique voice) — your living guide.
Magic golden letters
At the puzzle climax, golden letters magically write themselves on the real wall — that's the puzzle answer. An unforgettable visual effect.
Written + audio narration
Every puzzle available as text AND voice-over: read at your own pace or listen eyes-free while walking. Great in groups and for accessibility.
360° radar + vibration
A mini-radar shows the target even behind you, and the phone vibrates when you aim in the right direction.
Heritage storytelling
Every puzzle weaves in real historical facts (architecture, era, anecdotes). You learn by playing — like a gamified audioguide.
Progressive AI hints
3 levels of AI-generated help: vibe → where to look → answer format. You're never stuck.
AR selfie memento
At the end of the game, capture a selfie with OddballTrip banner + mascot, shareable on Instagram, TikTok.
Zero app to install
PWA technology: open the link, it plays in your browser. Same quality as an app, no App Store hassle.
Frequently asked questions
Q01Do I need to download an app?
No, never. You get a link, you click, it plays in your browser. That's the point of a PWA: same as an app, without the hassle.
Q02Does it work offline?
GPS yes (handled by your phone). Maps yes (tiles cached). AI and hints need an intermittent 4G connection.
Q03How long does a game take?
1 h 30 to 2 h 30 depending on your pace. The timer runs but only for the leaderboard — you play at your own tempo.
Q04What happens if I'm stuck?
You get 3 levels of hints per puzzle (increasing penalty). If truly stuck, you can skip the step (45-min penalty but you keep going).
Q05What's the age range?
From 12 without an adult, from 6 with an adult reading puzzles. Works for families, couples, friend groups, companies.
Q06What if my city isn't in the catalogue?
Pre-register or contact us — we'll email you as soon as your city is live.
Q07What is augmented reality exactly?
Point your phone at the façade: a historical character appears full-screen and speaks to you in your language. At the puzzle climax, golden letters magically write themselves on the real wall — that's your answer. After each puzzle solved, a treasure chest floats in front of you. Seeing is believing.
Avis des aventuriers
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Your turn to play
Dive into the alchemical secrets of Krems an der Donau, where Venetian Renaissance merchants hid their formulas in the Gothic stones of the UNESCO Wachau valley.
1 purchase = 1 phone. Play several on the same device.
No calendar booking. Code sent immediately by email.
🔒Secure payment · Code in 5 min · Free cancellation
🪙+24 TripCoins granted with your booking
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