Digital Twins for Cultural Heritage: A Systematic Analysis of the State of the Art

Digital twin technology offers a transformative approach to preserve, manage, and enhance tangible cultural heritage through dynamic and immersive digital representations. Despite growing attention, research in this area remains fragmented and lacks systematic synthesis. This study presents a comprehensive systematic literature review analyzing the state-of-the-art in digital twin applications for tangible cultural heritage. A total of 108 studies published between 2002 and August 2025 were synthesized and categorized across three analytical dimensions: user-centric applications, enabling technologies, and maturity levels. The results indicate that most current implementations remain in early maturity stages primarily static digital replicas with limited adaptivity or intelligence. This trend reflects an ongoing transition toward dynamic, interoperable, and data-driven cultural heritage twins. User-centric applications increasingly leverage immersive technologies such as virtual and augmented reality to enhance accessibility and engagement, while enabling technologies like 3D modeling, real-time data integration, and AI-based analytics are still underutilized for intelligent operations. The findings highlight the need for innovation and standardization to advance maturity and scalability. Federated digital twins emerge as a promising pathway for collaborative, secure, and sustainable preservation and access to cultural heritage.