Jerry Gretzinger's Ever-Expanding Map of Imaginary Ukrania
Since 1963, Jerry Gretzinger has been constructing an enormous, ever-changing map of a fictional land called Ukrania, made from thousands of hand-drawn panels. The project, known as Jerry's Map, is governed by a deck of modified playing cards that dictate daily modifications. After a hiatus in the 1980s due to a clothing business, his son rediscovered the map in the attic, prompting Gretzinger to resume. Now in his mid-eighties, he continues to work obsessively, with large sections being consumed by a white space he calls "the Void." The map has gained a following, including an active subreddit of amateur mappers. A video by People Make Games documents the painstaking process.
Key facts
- Jerry Gretzinger began drawing the map of Ukrania in 1963.
- The map consists of thousands of individually created panels.
- Daily modifications are dictated by a deck of heavily modified playing cards.
- Gretzinger stopped working on the map in the 1980s to run a clothing business with his wife.
- His son rediscovered the map in the attic decades later, inspiring him to resume.
- Large areas of the map are being consumed by a white space called 'the Void'.
- A subreddit (r/JerryMapping) exists for amateurs following his example.
- People Make Games produced a video about the map.
- Gretzinger is in his mid-eighties.
- The map is entirely fictional and called Ukrania.
Entities
Artists
- Jerry Gretzinger
- Henry Darger
Institutions
- People Make Games
- Metafilter
- Open Culture
Locations
- Ukrania