Faust House

Faust House, known in Czech as Faustův dům and sometimes called Mladota Palace, stands on Charles Square in Prague's New Town. Its name carries a devil-and-alchemy legend, but the building is worth a look on its own merits as a piece of Baroque Prague 2.

Where exactly is Faust House located?

The address is Karlovo náměstí 502/40, in the Prague 2 – Nové Město district. The house sits on the southwestern corner of the square and has been listed as a Czech cultural monument since 1964.

Why is it called the Faust House?

The plot itself was once a pagan sacrificial site. Written records of buildings here go back to the 14th century, when the land belonged to the Dukes of Opava, a side branch of the Přemyslid dynasty. One of them, Duke Wenceslaus of Opava, had a keen interest in natural science and alchemy, and later storytelling linked his household to the Faust legend. The name stuck mainly because of two later residents: the alchemist Edward Kelley and, afterward, Ferdinand Antonín Mladota of Solopysky.

What did the alchemists actually do here?

Edward Kelley, an English alchemist often described as a spy and a charlatan, worked at the court of Emperor Rudolf II. He bought the house in 1590 and set up a laboratory where he reportedly tried to turn lead into gold. During Rudolf II's reign, an astrologer named Jakub Kručinek also lived in the house; local lore holds that one of his sons killed the other while searching for treasure supposedly hidden inside.

How has the building changed over the centuries?

The structure seen today is a Renaissance building from the second half of the 16th century. Architect František Maxmilián Kaňka reshaped it in the second quarter of the 18th century, and around 1769 Antonín Schmidt carried the work further, giving the façade the Baroque look it still has.

What is the legend of Doctor Faust about?

The tale, popularized during the Romantic era, holds that Doctor Faust struck a bargain with the Devil inside the house while chasing forbidden knowledge, and that when the Devil finally came to collect him, he was hauled out through a gap torn open in the ceiling. Tradition says the opening kept reappearing no matter how many times it was sealed. Historians link the legend to a simpler fact: several real owners of the house genuinely practiced alchemy and natural science, and their reputation eventually merged with the older Faust myth.

Can visitors go inside today?

The building now belongs to the First Faculty of Medicine of Charles University, and its interior is closed to the public. Visitors can only take in the Baroque façade from Charles Square itself.

Frequently asked questions

Did the real Doctor Faust ever live in this house? There is no evidence that the legendary Faust set foot in Prague. The name reflects the alchemical reputation of the house's actual residents, not a documented stay by the character from German folklore.

Why is it also called Mladota Palace? After Ferdinand Antonín Mladota of Solopysky, a later owner whose noisy chemical experiments left a lasting impression on the square.

Is it possible to enter the building? No. It currently serves Charles University's medical faculty and is not open to tourists.

Where is Faust House located precisely? On the southwestern corner of Charles Square (Karlovo náměstí) in Prague's New Town, Prague 2.