I made this sketch of that curious old building, the Faust House, on a trip to Prague a few years ago. I post it here for whatever pleasure it may trigger.
The Faust House, for those unfamiliar with it, sits on Charles Square; it houses the Faculty of Medicine of Charles University, and is not open to the public.
There are many stories told about it. The first is the one that named it: that it was indeed the home of Dr. Faustus, and that the Devil whisked him off through a hole in the roof — or, in some versions, from the second floor of the corner tower.
It sheltered a gaggle of savants over the years: in the 15th century, the alchemist Prince Vaclav of Opava; in later years, the astrologer Jakub Krucinek, and another alchemist, Ferdinand Antonin Mladota. In the 19th century, Karl Jaenig indulged his romantic morbidity there, rigging up a gallows, painting the walls with dismal mottoes, and sleeping in a coffin. He also asked in his will that he be buried face down. Ah, youth.
The most familiar Faust Householder though, is undoubtedly Edward Kelley, John Dee’s rather shady accomplice, who settled in Prague for a while.
And, not surprisingly, there are other rumors: unexplained fires, cat skeletons found in the walls, and reports that 16th century alchemical paintings still cover the walls and ceilings. But we can’t go in, so we can’t see them. We can just study the facade, and ponder the folklore.
By the way, I recommend sketching while traveling. It’s less accurate than photography, but you really have to look at something to draw it, and that’s a treat.
(Posted by Doug Skinner)
7 responses so far ↓
1 Anthony Matt // May 13, 2009 at 11:16 pm
I want to go to Prague now!
2 mamie // May 14, 2009 at 5:27 am
The next field trip!
3 Lisa // May 20, 2009 at 9:49 am
Me too! I’ve never been east of Heidelberg – a far cry from Prague.
The Faust House sounds a little like the Prague synagogue – you can’t go into the attic, you can only dream about what may or may not have happened there, and then go buy a Golem souvenir at a stand outside.
Nice sketch, by the way.
4 Gail // Jun 7, 2009 at 8:59 am
Thanks. I love drawing while traveling too. It’s really nice to pay close attention to something and daydream about it in “real time”. What is the building now? You can’t go inside?
5 Doug // Jun 9, 2009 at 10:53 pm
The building is now used for faculty housing. Professors live there; they won’t let you in.
6 Sarah // Apr 11, 2010 at 3:50 pm
I’m off to Prague in June and doing a heap of research before hand so I don’t miss a thing – the Faust House is one of the many ‘musts’ – incidentally, Rudolf II should’ve known about Kelley since he’d had his ears lopped off for committing fraud in England – how can one miss that?!! Or maybe it made him look more mysterious. A question though – how would he have kept his glasses slipping off into his cauldron, I wonder?
7 Doug // Apr 12, 2010 at 2:43 pm
I highly recommend “Magic Prague,” by Angelo Maria Ripellino (although you may have already found it). It’s not a guidebook; it’s a dense cultural and literary history of the city. And Hasek, Kafka, and Meyrink!
I think Rudolf was more interested in Dee, and Kelley tagged along. Besides, lots of people had parts lopped off then — like Tycho Brahe, with his prosthetic nose.