In 2002, a flood in Prague caused some streets to collapse into a series of unknown underground tunnels.
And just like that, a for-reals alchemist laboratory was discovered in the 21st century. 10 years of discovery, repair, and restoration later, they’re now open for tours.
On the outside, only a house is visible and it was used as a pharmacy in its time. Alchemists were notoriously secretive, so none but those on the inside knew about the tunnel system below where potions were made. In fact many alchemists even created their own languages so they could keep their knowledge away from prying eyes. There are alchemist languages that have still never been decoded/translated into something we can currently understand. The 4 elements were crucial to alchemist beliefs. Also, these devilish looking faces are actually of Moses.He is on the chandelier because he is considered to be an intermediary between God and the people. Due to a translation error of an early edition of The Bible many people actually believed that Moses had horns.
The entrance to the tunnel system was hidden behind a bookcase with a secret switch. Seriously.
There were lots of stuffed animals, bottles, and books. Since few people in Europe at the time had ever seen alligators/crocodiles, they were said to be the bodies of dragons, and were said to help guard the alchemists.
A staircase led us down to the chambers. We were only about 3.5 meters down, which explains why the floods caused a few of the tunnels to collapse. These were not the only tunnels, but these are the only ones that could be restored. There was a tunnel that once led to Prague Castle that is no longer useable along with a tunnel that leads outside the city of Prague(!). Talk about myths becoming reality.
Alchemy was supported by Emperor Rudolf II in the 16th century. He funded their experiments and work, benefiting from the elixir of life and love in particular, until his death. Once he died, alchemists lost funding and support for their work, and hid all their work.
Luckily, a vault underground held a single bottle of ‘The Elixir of Life’ and the recipes for it, and the elixirs of love and memory. Monks now recreate the elixirs exactly as detailed in the instructions and each of the elixirs (and blends!) are for sale in their shop. The only change is that the Elixir of Life does not contained opium as is instructed, since it’s now illegal.
How I wish we could have taken some home, but alas, it’ll have to wait for another visit.
Would live to see!! You find incredible places to visit!
This is all so fascinating. Thank you for the great photos and education.