In a captivating, 50-minute immersive experience, “The Secret Laboratory” at Schloss Augustusburg invites students and young adults to journey back to the Renaissance, when Saxony was ruled by the visionary Duke August and his remarkable wife, Anna of Saxony.
Situated in an authentic historical location within the original castle, the rooms are meticulously recreated with historically accurate details to provide an engaging, hands-on learning experience.
The innovative concept of the workshops allows for two entirely different, yet seamlessly integrated, learning experiences in one location: one guided by Anna’s passion for alchemy and herbal science, and the other driven by August’s obsession with mining and metallurgy.
The experience goes beyond traditional learning by blending education with entertainment — a unique combination where students actively participate in a workshop while learning in the process. What sets this apart is that the teacher is also an actor, bringing the historical figures to life and fully immersing the participants in the story.
Technology, while crucial, remains hidden, subtly enhancing the narrative through special effects like Pepper’s Ghost, projection mapping, and hidden screens, ensuring that the focus remains on the story itself. All of this takes place in an authentic, historic setting, making it a one-of-a-kind educational adventure that combines history, science, and cutting-edge storytelling.
In Elixir of Life, guests put on black robes and follow their host through a shadowy hallway into a beautifully painted study. Surrounded by hand-painted scenes of the Ore Mountains region and filled with scientific instruments, this pre-show room sets the tone.
Here, guests meet Anna herself — a projection of her silhouette appears in the garden window and humbly shares her story. Known for her intelligence, generosity, and passion for healing, Anna governed Saxony alongside her husband and built a Europe-wide network for trading medicinal plants, thereby revolutionising the practice of pharmacy. In this experience, guests help decipher one of her over 100 encrypted recipes and then craft their own herbal elixir in a fully equipped laboratory.
This hands-on workshop challenges participants to explore herbal posters, unlock scent-based puzzles, find secret recipe fragments hidden throughout the room, and carefully measure and mix ingredients using historical tools. The final step? Activating the distillation process with shimmering "moonlight water" drawn from a mysterious cellar.
Each guest leaves with a labelled vial of their personal elixir — a potion born of history, science, and teamwork.
The second experience, Treasure of the Earth, immerses visitors in the world of Duke August, who transformed Saxony’s fortune by advancing mining in the Ore Mountains. The experience begins similarly, but the tone shifts quickly: guests are confronted by animated portraits of August and his mentor, Agricola — the legendary scientist who authored the first book on mining.
In a lively dialogue, the two icons task the group with analysing a piece of ore to determine whether it contains valuable silver.
Inside the shared laboratory, guests weigh and test stones, observe the smelting process, and take part in casting their own coin — their unique impression prepared in advance and revealed through a magical "Pepper’s Ghost" moment. With fewer riddles but more spectacle, this version is designed to engage older students and adult learners.
Working under tight time and with a limited budget of $ 285.000 (€ 245.000), the design team created a space that is both authentic and flexible – combining rich scenic detail, dynamic lighting, layered sound, and subtle effects to support two immersive narratives in the same physical rooms.
The historical accuracy is enhanced with expert input from historians and scientists, while creative storytelling makes the content accessible and inspiring.
This new concept — two independent, transformative journeys in the same historic rooms — is a rare innovation in location-based edutainment. It allows the heritage site to serve multiple audiences without compromise, and demonstrates how deep history can be made tangible, emotional, and unforgettable.
“The Secret Laboratory” opened to the public on the 28th of June, 2025.
Partners
- creative concept: Creative Studio Berlin
- educational concept: Schloss Augustusburg
- concept development: THE ROOM Laboratories
- technical planning: THE ROOM Laboratories
- technical installation: THE ROOM Laboratories
- special & visual effects: THE ROOM Laboratories
- theming / set decoration: THE ROOM Laboratories
- murals: The Art Team
- props: THE ROOM Laboratories
- multimedia content: THE ROOM Laboratories
- interactives: THE ROOM Laboratories
- authentic furniture: Schreinerei Quehl
