Monmouth becomes world’s first Wikipedia town

July 31, 2016

By Stacey Leasca

The small town of Monmouth has become the world’s first Wikipedia town.
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The small Welsh town of Monmouth has entered the history books as the world's first Wikipedia town.

According to USA Today, starting this Saturday visitors to the town will be able to use smartphones to scan QR codes at points of interest in Monmouth that will instantly bring up a Wikipedia page about the landmark.

Wikimedia UK, the group responsible for turning Monmouth into an interactive community, said thousands of articles will be made available on the rich history of the town.

The town has also now been nicknamed Monmouthpedia.

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The Next Web reported the process of making Monmouthpedia has taken six months of work. The community had to commit to town-wide free WiFi, the first of its kind in Wales. This service will allow visitors easy access to Wikipedia information.

It really did take a village to make this happen. All the locals and businesses help to create and edit articles about Monmouth that can be accessed via barcodes placed throughout the city. The Washington Post reported volunteers have been assisting in translating the articles into several languages.

There are currently around 1,000 barcodes placed throughout the town.

Stevie Benton, Wikimedia UK’s communications organizer, said Monmouth was chosen as the first Wiki city because of its rich history. The Washington Post noted the town is where English King Henry V was born. Monmouth is also home to a 13th-century bridge, the only remaining one of its kind in Britain.

“It’s really captured people’s imaginations in ways we hadn’t expected. If everyone shares the stories of their local area, we’ll have a much clearer understanding of the world we live in and that’s a powerful thing,” Benton said.

The Wiki city trend shows no signs of being a one-stop deal. According to the LA Times, both Mexico City and New York City have expressed interest in the project.