Pharmacy Museum

A Glimpse into 19th-Century Pharmacies

The Pharmacy Museum’s collection showcases pharmacy practices from the 1800s, when medicines were handcrafted on-site. The shop, or office, features Finland’s oldest preserved pharmacy interior, dating back to 1858, originally from a historic pharmacy in the northern city of Oulu.

The museum also includes two laboratories, and an herb room used for drying medicinal plants. This room displays examples of common Finnish medicinal herbs used in the 19th century. A separate modern exhibition space hosts rotating displays. Although no pharmacy ever operated within the Qwensel House, the collection was assembled from across Finland. In the early 1900s, pharmacists in Turku began collecting pharmacy-related objects with the dream of founding a museum. On December 13, 1938, the Turku Pharmacy Society officially decided to establish one. The collection finally found a home in the 1950s, when the Turku Historical Museum chose to preserve the Qwensel House, an important heritage site in the city. The Pharmacy Museum opened its doors in 1958.