The Glass Conspiracy — Gouda's Hidden Reformation
Decipher the coded messages hidden in Gouda's 72 Renaissance stained glass windows to expose a dangerous Reformation conspiracy that nearly destroyed the Sint-Janskerk.
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
In 1552, a catastrophic fire swept through Gouda, but what followed was no accident of nature—it was the spark of a religious war fought in glass and shadow
The Glass Conspiracy — Gouda's Hidden Reformation
You are Dirk Crabeth, master glazier in Gouda, 1566, on a secret mission to save Sint-Janskerk's artistic treasures.
You arrive in Gouda amid
Dive into the secrets of the Reformation in Gouda, where 72 Renaissance stained glass windows survived the iconoclasm of 1566 under mysterious circumstances.
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
Gouda becomes the theater of a unique artistic revolution in the Netherlands when Sint-Janskerk church, built between 1481 and 1559, commissions 72 Renaissance stained glass windows from brothers Dirk and Wouter Crabeth. These artworks, reaching 123 meters high with the main tower, depict biblical and historical scenes in a revolutionary style for the era. When the 1552 fire ravages part of the building, the stained glass becomes a symbol of cultural resistance against the approaching religious troubles.
The iconoclasm of 1566 strikes the Netherlands with unprecedented violence, destroying statues and religious works throughout the region. Yet Gouda's stained glass miraculously escapes this destructive fury. On Markt square, the Stadhuis built in 1450 sees its facade adorned with 57 statues and coats of arms restored after the troubles, witnessing municipal tensions during the Protestant Reformation. Decisions made in this late Gothic rijksmonument determine the city's artistic fate.
The Goudse Waag, a 1667-1668 building serving as cheese hall, symbolizes Gouda's post-Reformation economic boom. This 28-meter-long Dutch classical facade, now rijksmonument number 17397, has used official cheese weights since 1668. The cheese trade discreetly finances the preservation of artistic treasures, creating a unique cultural protection network in Europe.
The Agnietenkapel, built around 1490 and used by the Agnes sisters since 1523, becomes the secret refuge for threatened liturgical objects. This chapel, spared from iconoclasm thanks to local citizens, now houses a café but preserves its mysteries within its rijksmonument walls. 200 meters away, the Lazaruspoortje, a fortified gate from 1525 standing 10 meters high, hides proof of Gouda's artistic resistance in its late Gothic foundations.
Your journey through Gouda's streets reveals how a Zuid-Holland city managed to preserve its Renaissance heritage against all odds. From the Hofje van Letmaet, founded in 1551 by Witte van Avesaet for religious refugees, to the still-intact stained glass of Sint-Janskerk, you carry proof that art survives revolutions when a community unites to protect it. This living history lesson still resonates today in every monument you visited.
The Route
8 stages through the city
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 · 12€No calendar booking. Code sent immediately by email.
🔒 Secure payment · Code in 5 min · Free cancellation
Practical info
Why this route?
Renaissance Masterpiece
Uncover the secrets behind the famous stained glass windows of Sint-Janskerk, among the largest in Europe.
Clandestine Resistance
Unravel the mysteries of a secret society of artists and citizens working to protect cultural heritage.
Era of Tumult
Immerse yourself in the 16th century, a pivotal period between the Protestant Reformation and Iconoclasm.
Art survives fury.
Unveil the secret register.
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.
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Your turn to play
Dive into the secrets of the Reformation in Gouda, where 72 Renaissance stained glass windows survived the iconoclasm of 1566 under mysterious circumstances.
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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