Alchemical age in Prague

At the end of the 16th century Prague became the center of occultism. The eccentric Emperor Rudolph II brought in the spirit of the late Renaissance through his passion for mysterious arts and science. Many alchemists from across Europe came to Prague to enjoy the generous patronage of the Imperial court. The obsessed Rudolph II employed more than 200 alchemists and charlatans in the hope of discovering the secret formula for converting base metals into gold. Despite no apparent results up to now, the challenging research still goes on, mostly in our kitchen.