Here’s an interesting little squib regarding The Museum of Alchemists and Magicians in Prague. The piece notes:
“As king of much of eastern Europe and eventually Holy Roman Emperor during the 16th century, Rudolf II was not known as an especially effective ruler, but he is widely remembered for his interest and patronage of the occult arts. It was during his reign that he turned Prague into the unofficial capitol of the dark arts. Funding a number of alchemists and other so-called sorcerers, most notably the likes of Edward Kelley and John Dee, Rudolf created possibly the most active period of occult practice in history.”
and here’s the Museum’s own page: http://www.muzeumpovesti.cz/en/muzeum-alchymystu-a-kouzelniku-stare-prahy/about-museum/
The Museum comprises:
Ground floor
As the adept of alchemy who spends the first years reading and exploring, for you as well there are prepared information about alchemy and alchemists by leading experts including professors of Charles University. There is also a variety of interactive exhibits and you can enter the mysterious room of the Faust’s house, where you will find not only stories of alchemists and magicians of old Prague, but also the basic motto of the museum: “”there are many ways leading to magic, but the only way away from it…”. The only way is suggested by the legs of Doctor Faustus flying with up the Devil through the hole in the ceiling..
Attic:
After you climb up 60 steps of one of the oldest wooden staircases in Prague, which was reportedly designed by Edward Kelley himself in the 16th century, you will enter the laboratory of the famous alchemist. He spent there the last three years of his life. Not only here, but throughout the whole Prague he left his memorable tracks. The first laboratory room serves both as a storage, a library, but also as a waiting room for those who want to enter the lab. Thus there is waiting Rudolf II, John Dee, but also William Shakespeare. If you doubt he belongs here, listen carefully to the lecture of your guide, who will take you through the whole attic part of the exhibition. The second room is a separate laboratory, where you can find the creation of homunculus, you will see furnaces, retorts, you can try to blow the bellows and you will see the skeleton under a magnifying glass. You can find here a lot of experimental animals and above all, you will see a stopped explosion, personally watched by Edward Kelley.
and the Lab Pub Kellyxír – where you can down a few potions if you’d like.
