When the Map No Longer Matches Reality
- Mar 20
- 2 min read
A story for Map Reading Day (April 5th)
Author: Uwe Marburger, CEO
Here’s a slightly chaotic story about a business trip in former East Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall. It takes place in 1990 — right in the middle of the navigation adventure of a country in transition.
As a conscientious sales representative, I always believed in two things:
Punctuality
That my 1989 road map was always right
Both were about to be seriously tested on this Tuesday morning.
I had a meeting at a newly privatized chemical plant somewhere in former East Germany.A 5-hour drive — so I left early. With a bit of luck, I might even arrive ahead of time.
I should have known better.
As soon as I left the “highway,” I was greeted by a sign:“Detour – 18 km”
No problem.
After 18 km, another sign appeared:“Detour – 22 km”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
According to my map, there should have been a peaceful lake at that exact spot.Instead, I was looking at a concrete factory.
After another 20 minutes, I pulled over, spread the map across the steering wheel, and realized:
I was officially nowhere.
The road I was on didn’t exist.The intersection ahead didn’t exist.The town I had just passed through didn’t exist either.
“I’m in a parallel universe.”
A Trabant driver pulled up next to me.“Looking for something?”
I showed him the map.
He burst out laughing.“That road was built in 1987. But it wasn’t allowed on maps. For… well… reasons.”
I nodded, pretending to understand — while understanding absolutely nothing.
“I have a meeting in 40 minutes.”
“Good luck,” he said,and drove off —as if he had just waved goodbye to a passenger on the Titanic.
I kept going.
The road became narrower.Then rougher.Then… it simply ended.
In front of me: a dirt track. To the left: a forest. To the right: a sign.
“No entry – construction site since 1984”
When the map finally gave up, I pulled out my compass.
I needed to head east. But I was already in the east.
“Well then… I’ll just go even further east.”
With patience fading and frustration growing, I finally spotted a hand-painted sign:
“Chemical plant → 3 km”
After a total of 8 hours, three detours, two secret roads, and a compass that refused to cooperate, I reached my destination:
A parking lot in front of a small grocery store —which, according to my map, was supposed to be a lake.
PS:
I had the meeting the next day.
And parts of the chemical plant later became a film set-
because the old industrial buildings looked so “post-apocalyptic.”
Back then, it was road maps. Today, it’s markets, supply chains, and geopolitical realities. And sometimes, the same still applies:What’s on the map isn’t always what you’ll find.
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