An enormous collection of pharmaceutical implements and ingredients fills shelves in this modern museum housed in the heart of Heidelberg Castle.
Keeping people healthy has been a human obsession forever, as the Deutsches Apotheken-Museum well shows. Displaying the history of medicine from the classical period to today, it recalls both the superstition and the ingenuity of healers from the past. Take a break from exploring the ruined castle to learn about the cures of the past and appreciate how far we’ve come.
Take a moment to experience the atmosphere of the castle then head to the pharmacy museum for an informative look at the sort of medicine that was being practiced during the heyday of the fortress. Tour historical laboratories set up to look like pharmacies from several periods, from the Renaissance to the 1930s. In the “children’s pharmacy,” help young members of the family put together healing tinctures of their own by following traditional recipes for medicinal teas that they can bring home.
Save lots of time for the Materia Medica exhibit, which displays a vast collection of medicines from the 1600s up to the 1800s. Learn about the medicinal uses of cocoa and spices.
Feel like Harry Potter himself when examining bezoars, the rocks from a goat’s stomach once believed to be able to cure a myriad of diseases. Fast-forward to the more recent past with a tour through the first penicillin packs from the 1930s.
Finish with the collection of pharmacists’ signs that offered the promise of succor for ailing people, similar to the glowing green crosses that light up the streets of Heidelberg today.
Since the Deutsches Apotheken-Museum is located inside Heidelberg Schloss, it requires either a funicular ride or a hike to the top of the hill. Get here from the Heidelberg main train station in under 40 minutes by subway or bus and around 55 minutes on foot. The walk from the Marktplatz to the top of the hill takes about 20 minutes. The funicular ride is shorter and is scheduled fairly often.
The museum is open daily from mid morning to early evening, with slightly shortened hours in the winter. Entrance to the museum is included with the price of admission to the castle and the funicular railway.
