Day 4: Prague- Alchemy and Airports

Our final day in Prague! Flight at 4pm, so time to sneak some more of the gothic culture in.

We had walked past a door that I’d been curious what was inside a few times, ‘Speculum Alchemaie’. We didn’t know what we’d get up to today, but walking past it today, the blue wooden looming shutters were finally open, decorated with glass giant inflated test tubes, with all manner of things in each! I looked it up online briefly, to find what it was about, without the commitment of having walked in. As I read a few sentences, YES, we need to go in here. An alchemical history of Prague, delving into the Bohemian roots that beat through the veins of this cities past. My gosh, just look at the photos below. Simply magical.

The museum front
The entrance ‘shop’
Fire place
Writing desk
Original alchemical paintings of elements
Moses – religious scripture was originally misinterpreted from translation, as the words horns and Halo are very similar to one another.
Mystery passage in the bookshelf
Laboratory – they had to keep them secret as alchemists were often tortured and killed
The underground catacombs doused in lemongrass to try to disguise the damp
The part of the bookshelf that made the mechanism open
The unopened elixir bottle
Interesting wooden chair and mediaeval gown 
Is it a green man?
Alchemist
Some Latin philosophies inscribed on stone, such as it is not bad to not know, it is bad to willingly remain ignorant
The golem, which was a protective earthen made figure
Bull skull

These underground tunnels lead to Prague castle and into the centre, though many of them have apparently collapsed now…

By Prague