DDS: De Digitale Stad / The Digital City

On January 15, 1994, De Digitale Stad (DDS, The Digital City) opened its virtual gates. It empowered users to be “citizens” or “netizens” of a digital environment and enter the then largely unknown world of the Internet. DDS imagined a community-driven, commons-based internet, far remote from today's internet whose operation is dictated by a small group of big tech companies. The approach of using the city as a metaphor was unique and served as an inspiration for similar initiatives in Germany, Austria, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, France, Italy, Sweden, Canada, and the US. DDS was taken offline in 2001. However, concerted efforts by the DDS community and heritage professionals, have brought this unique example of born-digital heritage back to life. The “web archaeology” methods used to revive DDS are recognized in the preservation community as a pioneering example of safeguarding born-digital heritage. The materials to be listed (web archive, physical objects, audiovisual documentation) are preserved by multiple Dutch cultural heritage institutions. They allow future generations to experience and research the early, experimental, days of the Internet.