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Golden Lane, close to Prague Castle, is a street of tiny houses. Legend claims they were inhabited by alchemists, who flocked to Prague during the reign of Emperor Rudolf II, who was obsessed with the occult. Each alchemist received one of these miniscule dwellings from Rudolf as a home/laboratory. In reality, the street housed castle guards and craftsmen, amongst whom were goldsmiths, hence the street's name. Franz Kafka lived for a time at number 22. His novel 'The Castle' mentions "a huddle of village houses". #gothic #occult #weird #Prague #literature #folklore #history