Schnapps or salmiac liquorice in Bjørnkær Castle?:A late medieval alchemist workshop in Central Jutland, Denmark

Examining the Bjørnkær Castle site reveals a unique blend of archaeology and citizen science, with the discovery of the earliest alchemist’s workshop in the North that was in use in the 14th century. The history of Western alchemy traces back to Hellenistic Egypt, evolving through Islamic Spain and Sicily to the European Renaissance. Despite a papal ban on alchemy in the 14th century, interest persisted, as evidenced by written sources and a set of vessels excavated in the cellar of the tower in Bjørnkær Castle. These vessels have initially been interpreted as part of a distillation apparatus for schnapps production. However, new analysis suggests their use for sublimation, aligning with medieval alchemical practices in striving for the production of the ‘materia prima’ – or simply producing salmiac as a spice in liquorice. The Bjørnkær findings shed light on early alchemical workshops in Denmark, preceding notable post-medieval instances like Tycho Brahe’s laboratory. This interdisciplinary study <br/>underscores the early interest in ancient science more than hundred years before the beginning of the renaissance period.