Fantastische Karten | Fantastical Maps
An exhibition with the Zentralbibliothek Zürich.
Maps do more than describe the world we live in - they can create entirely new ones.
Through literature, games, and films, maps have shaped the way we experience stories for centuries. From 4 September - 5 December 2026, the exhibition Fantastical Maps From Legendary Stories at the Zentralbibliothek Zürich invites you into these extraordinary worlds.
Click here to plan your visit.
"The Cauldron of Story"
The exhibition is based on a concept coined by J.R.R. Tolkien: the image of a "Cauldron of Story." Fictional narratives - and with them, their maps - emerge from a continuous process of mixing, layering, and reinterpreting. Myths, fairy tales, legends, and literary traditions from diverse eras form the "ingredients" in this cauldron. Authors draw from these, transforming existing motifs and developing them further in new contexts.
The exhibition translates this model into the physical space: the tour itself becomes a "cauldron of stories." Along the outer wall of the treasury, a chronological narrative unfolds, revealing which works and influences flowed into this cultural process. Parallel to this, maps are presented in the centre of the room that served as historical references and significantly influenced the development of fictional cartography. These include, in particular, early modern maps of Switzerland, whose aesthetic and conceptual elements were later incorporated into literary worldviews.
Two collections – one shared dialogue
The exhibition's unique feature lies in the combination of two outstanding collections: Ex Carta, one of the most comprehensive collections of fictional cartography, and the collection of the Maps and Panoramas Department of the Zentralbibliothek Zurich, with its significant cartographic-historical heritage.
At the common focal point - Tolkien's work and its connection to the history of Swiss cartography - a curatorial concept emerges that makes the interplay between reality and fiction tangible in a way that is unique to date.
Fantastiche Karten | Fantastical Maps invites us to consider maps not only as illustrative elements of literary works, but as independent cultural artifacts. They are expressions of historical knowledge, aesthetic traditions, and narrative practices - and at the same time, projection surfaces for the imagination of entire worlds.
Treasure Island (1883) Robert L. Stevenson ©Ex Carta
The Sundering Flood (1898) William Morris ©Ex Carta
Exhibition Programming
- 10 September, 6.00 - 8.00 pm: D&D live game
- 15 September, 6.00 - 8.00 pm: You are standing at a crossroads, what do you do? D&D, maps, and worldbuilding
- 17 September, 6.00 - 8.00 pm: D&D live game
- 24 September 6.00 - 8.00 pm: D&D live game
- 1 October, 6.00- 8.00 pm: D&D live game
- 2 October, 6.00 - 8.00 pm: From Middle-Earth to Westeros: How maps create fantastic worlds
- 8 October, 6:00 - 8:00 pm: D&D live game
- 23 October, 4.00 - 6.00 pm: Mapping the Imagined – From Fantasy Cartography to Visualizing Ideas in Spatial Planning Maps
- 3 November, 6.00 - 8.00 pm: The Birth of Middle-earth on Tolkien's Journey to Switzerland in 1911
- 5 November, 6.00 - 8.00 pm: D&D live game
- 12 November, 6.00 - 8.00 pm: D&D live game
- 17 November, 6.00 - 8.00 pm: Guiding principles for navigating moral landscapes
- 19 November, 6.00 - 8.00 pm: D&D live game
- 26 November, 6.00 - 8.00 pm: D&D live game
Please note that all live programming will be in German only, unless otherwise indicated.
©Wizards of the Coast LLC. Image courtesy of Ex Carta.
There will also be a dedicated publication accompanying the exhibition: Fantastiche Karten | Fantastical Maps (Cartographica Helvetica, Special Issue 26) edited by Dr. Jost Schmid-Lanter & Helen Sunderland-Cohen. Published by Murten 2026, 56 pages including illustrations. [ISSN 1422-3392]. Special exhibition price CHF18, available online for CHF20.
More information coming soon!
Photograph by Frank Brüderli ©Zentralbibliothek Zürich
About Zentralbibliothek Zürich
The Zentralbibliothek Zürich (Central Library of Zurich) is one of the oldest and most important libraries in Switzerland, containing precious volumes of music, historical archives, literature – and maps.
It presents this exhibition in its beautiful, recently restored Treasure Chamber (Schatzkammer), adjacent to the Preacher’s Church (Predigerkirche) and just a few steps from the Limmat River. A fitting location for a display of maps from treasured stories that have been a source of wonder and inspiration for generations, and continue to percolate alongside one another in popular culture today.
Find out more and explore their collection at www.zb.uzh.ch
Sign up to the Oculi Mundi monthly newsletter for more Ex Carta updates:
