Virtual heritage is a term used to describe works dealing with information and communication technologies (ICT) and cultural heritage

Cultural heritage

Cultural heritage is the legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or society that are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations...

. Virtual heritage and cultural heritage have independent meanings: cultural heritage refers to "properties and sites with archaeological, aesthetic and historical value" (UNESCO World Heritage); and virtual heritage refers to instances of these properties and sites within a technological domain.

There are two key terms used to describe virtual heritage: virtual heritage and cultural heritage and technology. Virtual heritage is more commonly used in Australasia

Australasia

Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...

, whereas cultural heritage and technology is more commonly used in Europe.

Many virtual heritage projects focus on the tangible aspects of cultural heritage, for example 3D modelling, graphics and animation. In doing so they often overlook the intangible aspects of cultural heritage associated with the properties and sites, such as stories, performances and dances. The tangible aspects of cultural heritage are not inseparable from the intangible and one method for combining them is the use of virtual heritage serious games .

First Use

The first use of Virtual Heritage as a museum exhibit, and the derivation of the name Virtual Tour http://www.csanet.org/newsletter/feb95/nl029504.html, was in 1994 as a museum visitor interpretation, providing a 'walk-through' of a 3D reconstruction of Dudley Castle in England as it was in 1550.
This consisted of a computer controlled laserdisc based system designed by British based engineer Colin Johnson. It is a little known fact that one of the first users of Virtual Heritage was Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, when she officially opened the visitor centre in June 1994.
Because the Queens officials had requested titles, descriptions and instructions of all activities, the system was named 'Virtual Tour, being a cross between Virtual Reality and Royal Tour.
An archive of the original project can be viewed here.. Virtual Tours of Dudley Castle archive
The system featured in a conference held by the British Museum in November 1994 and in the subsequent technical paper..
'Imaging the Past' - Electronic Imaging and Computer Graphics in Museums and Archaeology - ISBN 0861591143.