Enns in Linz-Land, Upper Austria, Austria — Central Europe (Eastern Alps)

Johann Friedrich Böttcher - Goldmacher / Alchemist

Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, November 14, 2022

1. Johann Friedrich Böttcher - Goldmacher / Alchemist Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

Der Goldmacher und spätere Erfinder des europäischen Porzellans - Johann Friedrich Böttcher - wurde auf der Flucht vor dem sächsischen Kurfürsten am 20. 6.1703 in diesem Hause festgenommen. Er soll die Goldmachertinktur-das Arcanum hier liegen gelassen haben.

(English translation:)

The alchemist and later-on the inventor of European porcelain, Johann Friedrich Böttcher, was arrested in this house on June 20, 1703 while fleeing from the Saxon Elector. He is said to have left the “Goldmaker's Tincture” - the Arcanum, the recipe for making gold and curing diseases, here.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Notable Events • Science & Medicine. A significant historical date for this entry is June 20, 1703.

Location. 48° 12.772′ N, 14° 28.758′ E. Marker is in Enns, Oberösterreich (Upper Austria), in Linz-Land. Marker is on Wiener Straße, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Wiener Straße 7, Enns, Oberösterreich 4470, Austria. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 7 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Das Gasthaus „Zur Sonne“ / The Inn „At the Sun“

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(within shouting distance of this marker); Anton Bruckner (about 90 meters away, measured in a direct line); Das Stadtrecht von Enns / Enns City Charter (about 120 meters away); Der Stadtturm von Enns / The Enns City Tower (about 120 meters away); Salzamt / Salt Office (about 150 meters away); Mittelalterliche Bürgerhäuser / Medieval Townhouses (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); Der Georgenberg (approx. 0.4 kilometers away).

Also see . . . Johann Friedrich Böttger (Wikipedia).

Excerpt: Johann Friedrich Böttger (also Böttcher or Böttiger; 4 February 1682 – 13 March 1719) was a German alchemist. Böttger was born in Schleiz and died in Dresden. He is normally credited with being the first European to discover the secret of the creation of hard-paste porcelain in 1708,… Around 1700, as an 18-year-old apprentice chemist with the pharmacist Zorn in Berlin - Böttger, also an alchemist in pursuit of the philosopher's stone, locked himself away to discover in private the Alltinktur or Goldmachertinktur (direct translation: gold/maker/tincture), an alchemist's secret substance with which supposedly any disease could be cured and
Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, November 14, 2022

2. Johann Friedrich Böttcher - Goldmacher / Alchemist Marker
The marker is visible here just to the left of the entryway.
base metals converted into gold, as was much en vogue at the time. His activities did not stay secret for long and soon he was regarded as an adept in alchemy. When King Frederick I of Prussia (a profligate well known for his insatiable hankering for gold) learned of this, he requested that Böttger be taken into protective custody. Böttger escaped, but was detained and taken back to Dresden. The monarch of Saxony Augustus II of Poland (aka. Augustus II the Strong - well known for his insatiable hankering for gold), but who was always short of money, demanded that Böttger produce the so-called Goldmachertinktur in order to convert base metals into gold. Imprisoned in a dungeon, Böttger toiled away many a year, at many a noxious concoction, attempting to produce the 'gold making tincture' and, therefore, to regain his freedom.

(Submitted on November 18, 2022.)

Credits. This page was last revised on November 18, 2022. It was originally submitted on November 18, 2022, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 104 times since then and 22 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 18, 2022, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.