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Alchemy museum in Kutna Hora

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Posted on Sun, Dec 07 2014 12:18:57

alchemy museum kutna horaMuseum of Alchemy in Kutna Hora was opened quite recently – in May 2002. However, the history of alchemy in the Czech Republic is extremely rich and has its roots in the Middle Ages, the times when  Emperor Rudolf II was the ruler of Bohemia. Rudolf II was a big fan of alchemy and had several dozen alchemists in his court. During those times alchemy was very popular with curious ladies and distinguished gentlemen, so alchemists were patronized not only by the emperor but by the wealthy individuals all over Bohemia.

The museum itself is a reconstuction of the medieval alchemy lab in the basement of the Sankturinovsky House. In the depths of the gothic basement there is a furnace - the necessary attribute of such laboratories. Numerous glass flasks, beakers and vials represent the alchemists' working area. The walls have symbolic drawings of Mars, the Sun, Jupiter and the Moon, fish, birds, etc. with inscriptions in Latin. Poster boards and life-size dioramas explain alchemy in action. Apart from the fact that alchemists worked on turning silver, mined in Kutna Hora, into gold, they experimented with concocting life elixir and creating a Homunculus.

The owner of the museum, Michal Pober, gathered a complete collection of items dedicated to the occult science, including wax figures. Most of the alchemists' instruments are replicas made following the original sketches that survived. The atmosphere of the museum retains an occult atmosphere – it seems that any time a bunch of alchemists will walk through the door and get busy with magic formulas. The highlights of the place are a giant caleidoscope and the mythical Golem. Michal Pober sometimes takes visitors up to the gothic tower above the basement to show where worship and rituals take place, and to tell the history of alchemy development in the city.

Gallery: Alchemy museum in Kutna Hora

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