Brixen Pharmaziemuseum (Pharmacy Museum)

Since 2002, the Pharmacy Museum in the House of the City Pharmacy has been open to the public. After a temporary closure due to renovation work last year, the museum has been open to visitors again since November 2011.

The wealth of highly interesting exhibits on the production of medicines over the centuries is a true treasure trove for both laypeople and experts. From the Middle Ages to the present day, around 400 years of pharmacy history are documented here. The main focus of the permanent exhibition is on medicines. Various medicines produced according to historical recipes are shown, such as pills, suppositories, or plasters. Historical medicinal herbs are also featured, including native and exotic medicinal plants, as well as curiosities such as sugared woodlice, which were believed to help with fever.

Other exhibits were surprisingly modern, such as a powder inhaler for asthma treatment or layered tablets that released their active ingredients gradually. The exhibition also naturally devotes attention to the profession of the pharmacist and its significance, especially in a small town like Brixen. Here, the pharmacist, due to their scientific training, always had control and testing tasks to fulfill in the service of the community, such as assessing the authenticity or purity of products. In addition, a pharmacy always included a library with prescription books, medical works, chemical instructions, and botanical identification books. A small library with some valuable copies is available in the museum.

Finally, the museum also displays some "decorative objects" that were common in pharmacies in the past. The ceiling of the sales room of a historical pharmacy was adorned with all sorts of wondrous "enticing objects": stuffed crocodiles and armadillos, turtle shells, the unicorn, snakes, coconuts, and other exotic animals and plants were meant to arouse the curiosity of customers and create a mystical, mysterious atmosphere. The Brixen Pharmacy Museum features, among other things, a crocodile and a piece of an Egyptian mummy, as well as an elk's claw and the head of an armadillo.

PHARMACY MUSEUM BRIXEN
Adlerbrückengasse 4
I-39042 Brixen
Tel. +39 0472 209 112
Web: www.pharmaziemuseum.it