Utrecht, The Netherlands, October 12, 2015
A new informative iPad app tells the fascinating story of the world's most famous train. The Orient Express, a luxury train service connecting Paris to Constantinople, was the figurehead of the Belle Époque. In the 20th century the Orient Express remained closely connected to European history and culture. Consequently, the app will appeal to history lovers, travel aficionados and design enthusiasts.
The app covers over a century of Orient Express history in ten parts: from Prelude to Last train. Each part consists of concise text, richly illustrated with historical images and interactive elements:
The luxury train gained an aura of thrilling intrigue — partly thanks to books and movies such as Murder on the Orient Express. Research for this app revealed that this was not only fiction: some actual murders did take place. In 1935 a wealthy Romanian woman was robbed and pushed through the open window of the Orient Express. In 1950 the same happened to an American diplomat, probably instigated by the Soviets; he was one of the first victims of the Cold War.
The first Orient Express left in 1883, but when did the last one run? It's a question without a definite answer. From the 1960s onwards the Orient Express gradually lost its shine. Once reaching from Paris to Istanbul, the service was truncated to Vienna only. The last remnant was discontinued in 2009. Today nostalgia trains are still picking up on the luxury image of the Orient Express.
The iPad app was born out of personal fascination of its creator, Dutchman Arjan den Boer, who delved into the subject for over 10 years and started his own collection of posters, brochures and photographs. About half of the featured images come from his collection, the rest is from museums, archives, libraries and other collectors.
Orient Express History for iPad is available in the App Store for $ 5.99 / € 5.99 / £ 4.49
For requesting a free installation code and other questions: info@traiecto.com
Usage of high-res images and other downloads only permitted for announcements and reviews.
Orient Express History app iconpng
Screen print: Main menupng
Screen print: Pionier periodpng
Screen print: Istanbul Sirkeci stationpng
Screen print: Steel carriagespng
Screen print: Near Eastpng
Full text and images of part 1: Prelude pdf
Eyewitnesses (traveler quotes) part 2: Pioneer periodpdfFirst Orient Express poster, 1888 (collection Arjan den Boer)jpg
First Orient Express, l'Illustration, 1884 (collection Arjan den Boer)jpg
Dining car cross section, 1896 (collection Arjan den Boer)jpg
Simplon Orient Express poster, 1927 (private collection)jpg
London-Cairo brochure, 1928 (collection Arjan den Boer)jpg
Simplon Orient-Express snowed in for 5 days in Turkey, 1929 (collection Arjan den Boer)jpg
Simplon Orient and Taurus Express route, 1930 (collection Arjan den Boer)jpg
Sirkeci Station, Istanbul (photo Arjan den Boer)jpg
