The Pharmacy Museum

The Pharmacy Museum of the University of Basel shows in its permanent collection the history of remedies and their fabrication.

The Haus zum Sessel, which houses the Pharmacy Museum, is in the heart of Basel’s Old Town. This building was once the residence and workplace of the influential printer, Johannes Froben.

Charred squirrel or powdered mummy as a cure? An extensive collection of previously used drugs from all over the world illustrates different concepts of illness and healing concepts over time.

Among the two historical laboratories in the exhibition, the alchemist laboratory with originals from the 16th and 17th centuries testifies to the search for the Philosopher's Stone. In the pharmacy laboratory from around 1800, the manual preparation of medicinal plants determines the work.

Three pharmacy institutions show the changes of the times: The richly decorated court pharmacy from Innsbruck was built around 1755. The pharmacy around 1820 was classic, in the style of the Empire shortly before 1900. It now serves as a museum shop and forms the entrance to the museum.

The museum shows an important collection of pharmaceutical ceramics. The so-called faience has been used to store raw materials and medicines in pharmacies since the 15th century.