Speculum Alchemiae, a small yet fascinating museum, delves into the history of alchemy in Prague. Visitors are guided through underground vaults and visit areas where alchemists once practiced their art. These vaults and the alchemy laboratory were discovered in 2002, following the collapse of a small square in front of the museum due to severe flooding of the Vltava River. The museum is housed in the former residence of Edward Kelley, a renowned sixteenth-century alchemist who, like many alchemists, sought to transmute ordinary metals into gold. Kelley claimed to have succeeded. Alchemy was essentially an early form of chemical experimentation, the precursor to modern chemistry.
Alchemy Museum and Herbal Pharmacy
In the fifteenth century, a herbal pharmacy was established at what is now the Alchemy Museum. This location was strategic, situated on a trade route connecting Spain to the Far East. Traders brought exotic spices and products, which later proved useful for the alchemists who set up workshops in the building’s vaults.
Alchemy in Prague
In the sixteenth century, famous alchemists were invited to Prague by Rudolf II. The alchemy laboratory on Haštalská Street was connected by underground passages to Prague Castle and Old Town Square, serving as an escape route since Christendom forbade alchemy under the threat of death.
Guided Tour of the Alchemy Museum
The tour begins in a room filled with furniture and bookcases brimming with ancient texts containing recipes for potions and elixirs. Each alchemist had his own secret, coded recipe. The room is lit by a chandelier adorned with a depiction of Moses with horns, a misunderstanding of a biblical text. Two stuffed crocodiles, thought to be dragons with magical powers during Rudolf II’s time, decorate the mantelpiece and guard a secret door.
Secret Door and Vaults
A hidden door within the bookcase leads down a spiral staircase to the underground vaults, a maze of rooms where elixirs were created. Rudolf II’s favorite potion, the elixir of Eternal Youth, was brewed here. Made of 77 herbs and alcohol, Rudolf took a spoonful every morning to cleanse his body of toxins and negative thoughts.
Elixirs
Rudolf II’s successors were less enamored with alchemy, as the Church opposed the magical elements of the practice. The secret entrance to the vault was bricked up and rediscovered only in 2002. Among the findings was a bottle containing an elixir from Rudolf II’s era. Analysis confirmed it matched a recipe from one of the old books: the elixir of eternal youth. The tour concludes in a replica of a sixteenth-century pharmacy, where elixirs were and still are sold today.
Where? Haštalská 1, 110 00, Praha 1
How Much? Adults – 200 CZK Students (15-26 with valid student ID), Seniors (65 +) – 150 CZK Children – 70 CZK Family (2 adults + 2 children under 15) – 500 CZK
