Czech Republic
Sand Origin
Polanka nad Odrou
Random Sand Fact
Ever dreamt of turning sand into gold? You won’t be the first. Sand reappears as an element in the pursuit of making gold in the realm of alchemy.
Prague in Czechia used to be the European center for studying alchemy; several museums are devoted to its history. Alchemists believed that sand, either alone or in combination with other substances, could become gold. Sand was also involved in trials of turning urine into gold.
In a way, the urin experiments worked. The experiments exposed an unknown substance that could glow in the dark – voilá phosphorous!
Today phosphorus is today extracted from other sources – sand is still a part of the process.
