Pharmaziemuseum der Universität Basel

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. Paracelsus, Erasmus, Holbein and Durer were frequent visitors to his home. The Museum’s collections include samples of old European and non-European medicine, amulets worn against disease, original laboratory equipment, ceramic utensils, old instruments, and kits of medical supplies for domestic use, for travel and for field use. In addition, it contains books, artwork and handicrafts of a pharmaceutical nature. It contains reconstructions of 16th and 18th century apothecaries’ laboratories and of pharmacies from the 18th and early 19th centuries. The Museum is a part of the University of Basel. Originally created in the 1920s, the Museum’s scientifc collections have been augmented since. The Museum Shop is furnished in a period style and stocks a variety of natural products.

This museum greets you in the following languages: D/F/E
Opening 1925

Current exhibitions

Werbung Wirkung Pharma From historical collection to artistic examination

02.12.2022 - 26.02.2023

The special exhibition “Werbung Wirkung Pharma” provides an insight into our collection of pharmaceutical trade advertising from the years 1960 to 1980, focusing on four thematic areas: anxiety, sleep, vitamins and contraception.

The exhibition also features pieces by Basel-based artist Raphael Widmer.
Inspired by an advertisement for the drug Lexotanil, his work reflects on our dealings with anxiety, as both a visual and a social phenomenon.


The exhibition is documented in the following languages: D/F/E
Guided tours are offered in the following languages: D/F/E