Alchemical Prague

The historical centre of Prague is full of alchemical symbols. Often well hidden to the untrained eye, they bear witness to a rich history of scholarly activity during the reign of Emperor Rudolf II of Habsburg. On the edge of the old Jewish quarter, not far from the Spanish Synagogue, a laboratory was discovered in the basement of a house after the floods of 2002, which could have been the Emperor's laboratory.

The signs that can still be seen on the facades of the houses not only served to distinguish them in the days when numbers were not used, but also told a story of their own. The black sun is an allegory of the raw material in its original, unprocessed state. The black sun also owes its name to the fact that it potentially contains so much light that it obscures the vision of ordinary people.

The pilasters of the 'Stone Lamb' house have richly decorated capitals. There are symbols of the moon and the sun, the head of a jester (symbolising mercury, that which is cold, malleable, passive, volatile and feminine), oak leaves with gall nuts (gallic acid) and others.

The Charles Bridge was founded in 1357, on the 9th of July (7th month), at 5:31 am. This results in a palindrome 135797531, which also consists of the prime numbers except for 9. The sum of the digits of the foundation year (1+3+5+7) is the same as the number of arches in the bridge (16).

- Inspired by "Prague Unknown and Secret" by Martin Stejskal

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