diff --git a/public/main.js b/public/main.js
index 252973f9..d71db237 100644
--- a/public/main.js
+++ b/public/main.js
@@ -13,6 +13,8 @@ const ERROR = true;
 // detect device
 const MOBILE = window.innerWidth < 600 || navigator.userAgentData?.mobile;
 
+Scene.bootstrap();
+
 if (PRODUCTION && "serviceWorker" in navigator) {
   window.addEventListener("load", () => {
     navigator.serviceWorker.register("./sw.js").catch(err => {
@@ -32,7 +34,7 @@ if (PRODUCTION && "serviceWorker" in navigator) {
 }
 
 // append svg layers (in default order)
-let svg = d3.select("#map");
+let svg = d3.select(Scene.getMapSvg());
 let defs = svg.select("#deftemp");
 let viewbox = svg.select("#viewbox");
 let scaleBar = svg.select("#scaleBar");
diff --git a/public/modules/io/load.js b/public/modules/io/load.js
index 415c231b..29e63e81 100644
--- a/public/modules/io/load.js
+++ b/public/modules/io/load.js
@@ -302,11 +302,11 @@ async function parseLoadedData(data, mapVersion) {
 
     {
       svg.remove();
-      document.body.insertAdjacentHTML("afterbegin", data[5]);
+      const mapSvg = Scene.replaceMapSvg(data[5]);
+      svg = d3.select(mapSvg);
     }
 
     {
-      svg = d3.select("#map");
       defs = svg.select("#deftemp");
       viewbox = svg.select("#viewbox");
       scaleBar = svg.select("#scaleBar");
diff --git a/src/modules/index.ts b/src/modules/index.ts
index 5998d89a..2047585f 100644
--- a/src/modules/index.ts
+++ b/src/modules/index.ts
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ import "./relief-generator";
 import "./religions-generator";
 import "./river-generator";
 import "./routes-generator";
+import "./scene";
 import "./states-generator";
 import "./voronoi";
 import "./webgl-layer";
diff --git a/src/modules/scene.ts b/src/modules/scene.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b36f4e51
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/modules/scene.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,176 @@
+const SVG_NS = "http://www.w3.org/2000/svg";
+const MAP_CONTAINER_ID = "map-container";
+const SCENE_CONTAINER_ID = "map-scene";
+const MAP_ID = "map";
+const WEBGL_CANVAS_ID = "webgl-canvas";
+const RUNTIME_DEFS_HOST_ID = "runtime-defs-host";
+const RUNTIME_DEFS_ID = "runtime-defs";
+
+export class SceneModule {
+  private mapContainer: HTMLElement | null = null;
+  private sceneContainer: HTMLDivElement | null = null;
+  private mapSvg: SVGSVGElement | null = null;
+  private canvas: HTMLCanvasElement | null = null;
+  private defsHost: SVGSVGElement | null = null;
+  private runtimeDefs: SVGGElement | null = null;
+
+  bootstrap() {
+    const mapContainer = this.requireMapContainer();
+    const sceneContainer = this.ensureSceneContainer(mapContainer);
+    const defsHost = this.ensureDefsHost(mapContainer, sceneContainer);
+    const runtimeDefs = this.ensureRuntimeDefs(defsHost);
+
+    const mapSvg = document.getElementById(MAP_ID);
+    if (mapSvg instanceof SVGSVGElement) {
+      sceneContainer.append(mapSvg);
+    }
+
+    const canvas = document.getElementById(WEBGL_CANVAS_ID);
+    if (canvas instanceof HTMLCanvasElement) {
+      sceneContainer.append(canvas);
+    }
+
+    this.mapContainer = mapContainer;
+    this.sceneContainer = sceneContainer;
+    this.mapSvg = mapSvg instanceof SVGSVGElement ? mapSvg : null;
+    this.canvas = canvas instanceof HTMLCanvasElement ? canvas : null;
+    this.defsHost = defsHost;
+    this.runtimeDefs = runtimeDefs;
+
+    return this;
+  }
+
+  replaceMapSvg(markup: string) {
+    this.bootstrap();
+
+    this.mapSvg?.remove();
+    this.sceneContainer?.querySelector(`#${MAP_ID}`)?.remove();
+    this.getSceneContainer().insertAdjacentHTML("afterbegin", markup);
+
+    const mapSvg = this.getSceneContainer().querySelector(`#${MAP_ID}`);
+    if (!(mapSvg instanceof SVGSVGElement)) {
+      throw new Error("Scene could not rebind the map SVG after reload");
+    }
+
+    this.mapSvg = mapSvg;
+    if (this.canvas) {
+      this.getSceneContainer().append(this.canvas);
+    }
+
+    return mapSvg;
+  }
+
+  getMapContainer() {
+    this.bootstrap();
+    return this.mapContainer!;
+  }
+
+  getSceneContainer() {
+    this.bootstrap();
+    return this.sceneContainer!;
+  }
+
+  getMapSvg() {
+    this.bootstrap();
+    if (!this.mapSvg) {
+      throw new Error("Scene map SVG is not available");
+    }
+
+    return this.mapSvg;
+  }
+
+  getCanvas() {
+    this.bootstrap();
+    if (!this.canvas) {
+      throw new Error("Scene WebGL canvas is not available");
+    }
+
+    return this.canvas;
+  }
+
+  getDefsHost() {
+    this.bootstrap();
+    return this.defsHost!;
+  }
+
+  getRuntimeDefs() {
+    this.bootstrap();
+    return this.runtimeDefs!;
+  }
+
+  private requireMapContainer() {
+    const mapContainer = document.getElementById(MAP_CONTAINER_ID);
+    if (!(mapContainer instanceof HTMLElement)) {
+      throw new Error("Scene map container is not available");
+    }
+
+    return mapContainer;
+  }
+
+  private ensureSceneContainer(mapContainer: HTMLElement) {
+    const existingSceneContainer = document.getElementById(SCENE_CONTAINER_ID);
+    if (existingSceneContainer instanceof HTMLDivElement) {
+      return existingSceneContainer;
+    }
+
+    const sceneContainer = document.createElement("div");
+    sceneContainer.id = SCENE_CONTAINER_ID;
+    sceneContainer.style.position = "absolute";
+    sceneContainer.style.inset = "0";
+    mapContainer.prepend(sceneContainer);
+    return sceneContainer;
+  }
+
+  private ensureDefsHost(
+    mapContainer: HTMLElement,
+    sceneContainer: HTMLDivElement,
+  ) {
+    const existingDefsHost = document.getElementById(RUNTIME_DEFS_HOST_ID);
+    if (existingDefsHost instanceof SVGSVGElement) {
+      if (sceneContainer.contains(existingDefsHost)) {
+        mapContainer.append(existingDefsHost);
+      }
+
+      return existingDefsHost;
+    }
+
+    const defsHost = document.createElementNS(SVG_NS, "svg");
+    defsHost.setAttribute("id", RUNTIME_DEFS_HOST_ID);
+    defsHost.setAttribute("width", "0");
+    defsHost.setAttribute("height", "0");
+    defsHost.setAttribute("aria-hidden", "true");
+    defsHost.style.position = "absolute";
+    defsHost.style.width = "0";
+    defsHost.style.height = "0";
+    defsHost.style.overflow = "hidden";
+
+    const defsElement = document.createElementNS(SVG_NS, "defs");
+    defsHost.append(defsElement);
+    mapContainer.append(defsHost);
+    return defsHost;
+  }
+
+  private ensureRuntimeDefs(defsHost: SVGSVGElement) {
+    const existingRuntimeDefs = defsHost.querySelector(`#${RUNTIME_DEFS_ID}`);
+    if (existingRuntimeDefs instanceof SVGGElement) {
+      return existingRuntimeDefs;
+    }
+
+    let defsElement = defsHost.querySelector("defs");
+    if (!(defsElement instanceof SVGDefsElement)) {
+      defsElement = document.createElementNS(SVG_NS, "defs");
+      defsHost.append(defsElement);
+    }
+
+    const runtimeDefs = document.createElementNS(SVG_NS, "g");
+    runtimeDefs.setAttribute("id", RUNTIME_DEFS_ID);
+    defsElement.append(runtimeDefs);
+    return runtimeDefs;
+  }
+}
+
+declare global {
+  var Scene: SceneModule;
+}
+
+window.Scene = new SceneModule();
diff --git a/src/modules/webgl-layer.ts b/src/modules/webgl-layer.ts
index 89536c3a..4beda1c8 100644
--- a/src/modules/webgl-layer.ts
+++ b/src/modules/webgl-layer.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,9 @@
-import { Group, OrthographicCamera, Scene, WebGLRenderer } from "three";
-import { byId } from "../utils";
+import {
+  Group,
+  OrthographicCamera,
+  Scene as ThreeScene,
+  WebGLRenderer,
+} from "three";
 
 export interface WebGLLayerConfig {
   id: string;
@@ -13,25 +17,26 @@ interface RegisteredLayer {
 }
 
 export class WebGL2LayerClass {
-  private canvas = byId("webgl-canvas")!;
   private renderer: WebGLRenderer | null = null;
   private camera: OrthographicCamera | null = null;
-  private scene: Scene | null = null;
+  private scene: ThreeScene | null = null;
   private layers: Map<string, RegisteredLayer> = new Map();
   private pendingConfigs: WebGLLayerConfig[] = []; // queue for register() before init()
   private rafId: number | null = null;
 
   init(): boolean {
+    const canvas = Scene.getCanvas();
+
     this.renderer = new WebGLRenderer({
-      canvas: this.canvas,
+      canvas,
       antialias: false,
       alpha: true,
     });
     this.renderer.setPixelRatio(window.devicePixelRatio || 1);
-    this.canvas.style.width = `${graphWidth}px`;
-    this.canvas.style.height = `${graphHeight}px`;
+    canvas.style.width = `${graphWidth}px`;
+    canvas.style.height = `${graphHeight}px`;
     this.renderer.setSize(graphWidth, graphHeight, false);
-    this.scene = new Scene();
+    this.scene = new ThreeScene();
     this.camera = new OrthographicCamera(0, graphWidth, 0, graphHeight, -1, 1);
 
     // Process pre-init registrations (register() before init() is explicitly safe)
diff --git a/src/types/global.ts b/src/types/global.ts
index d3fb3f0a..cd5694e8 100644
--- a/src/types/global.ts
+++ b/src/types/global.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import type { Selection } from "d3";
 import type { NameBase } from "../modules/names-generator";
+import type { SceneModule } from "../modules/scene";
 import type { PackedGraph } from "./PackedGraph";
 
 declare global {
@@ -91,4 +92,5 @@ declare global {
   var viewY: number;
   var changeFont: () => void;
   var getFriendlyHeight: (coords: [number, number]) => string;
+  var Scene: SceneModule;
 }