“The digital twin is the digital nervous system of the smart city. It links data, creates a shared situational picture, and enables government, business, academia, and the urban community to collaborate on a common knowledge base. After one year, it’s clear to us: Those who share data and connect it intelligently lay the foundation for a more sustainable and livable city,” explains Maral Koohestanian, Smart City Director. 

Since its launch in the summer of 2025, the Digital Twin has been continuously expanded. New data, features, and applications make urban developments tangible: For example, sensor data on bicycle traffic provides detailed insights into the use and impact of new infrastructure measures for the first time. In the future, citizens will also be able to use 360-degree visualizations to get a realistic picture of planned changes, such as the redesign of Schwalbacher Straße.

In the long term, the Digital Twin is intended to help answer key questions regarding urban development, such as those related to traffic planning, climate impacts, or the effects of new construction projects. To this end, additional data and simulation models will be integrated step by step.

“The Digital Twin helps us visualize plans at an early stage and better assess their impacts. Especially for complex transportation and infrastructure projects, it creates a new foundation for fact-based decisions and transparent communication with citizens,” says Andreas Kowol, Head of the Department of Construction and Transportation.

The Digital Twin now covers a broad spectrum of urban topics: from basic data on transportation and infrastructure to the environment, climate, and energy. Social aspects, education, leisure, and culture are also integrated. The platform is supplemented by content on public participation as well as historical plans that trace the city’s development over time. This thematic diversity makes it possible to bring together different perspectives on the city and reveal complex interrelationships. The Digital Twin is thus increasingly becoming a central platform for information, planning, and participation.

Cultural content is now also part of the Digital Twin: as part of the World Design Capital 2026 program, projects can be explored digitally. A new storytelling tool makes it possible to convey complex topics in a clear and interactive way. Additional digital tours—for example, on the city’s history or sites of democracy—are in the works.

Another focus is on public participation: the city’s online participation processes are now directly visible within the Digital Twin. Citizens can learn about projects early on, track their current status, and actively contribute feedback.

In addition, the development team is available for discussions with interested citizens and will be present at major city festivals, such as Theatrium 2026, the bike festival marking the end of this year’s “Stadtradeln” campaign, or the Intercultural Summer Festival on Saturday, August 29, at Schlossplatz. The development team is also available at any time via email for suggestions on further development. It can be reached at zwillingwiesbadende.

The Wiesbaden Digital Twin is being developed across departments within the Wiesbaden municipal administration and is based on a collaboration between the Wiesbaden City Surveying Department in the Civil Engineering and Surveying Office and the Smart City Division, as well as the participation of several other departments within the city administration. 

The design, feasibility, and development phases of the urban digital twin for the state capital of Wiesbaden were made possible by external funding from the State of Hesse through the “Starke Heimat Hessen” (Strong Hesse) funding program. 

Those interested can find detailed information about the Wiesbaden Digital Twin on the city’s website at www.wiesbaden.de/rathaus/smart-city/digitaler-zwilling (opens in a new tab)www.wiesbaden.de/rathaus/smart-city/digitaler-zwilling (opens in a new tab). In addition, the digital replica can be explored on a multi-touch table at the Zukunftswerk in the Luisenforum, as well as temporarily at the Werkraum, Langgasse 5–9.