The Pharmacy Museum: Paris’s Most Hidden and Unexpected Free Exhibit Space

Several Parisian museums are vying for the title of the most hidden in the capital. These are places that often go unnoticed, tucked behind historic facades or unassuming exteriors. One such gem is the Museum of Pharmacy, and it might just be the best-kept secret of all of Paris! You'll find it nestled in a charming courtyard, behind the private mansions at 4 and 6 Avenue Ruysdaël, near the Parc Monceau in the 8th arrondissement. Today, this very location is home to the National Order of Pharmacists!

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Accessible free of charge by appointment, the museum houses exceptional collections of objects used in the preparation of medicines, astonishing ingredients, vases and pharmacopoeia books from the 16th to the 20th century. You need to go back a few centuries to understand the origins of this very well-preserved museum, which welcomes you to its beautiful Norman-Moorish pavilion, the only one of its kind in the capital, a real jewel. Take the opportunity to discover the period staircase, with its black woodwork and shimmering mosaics depicting the gods of Olympus.

In fact, this mansion belonged to Gaston Menier, grandson of Jean-Antoine-Brutus Menier, founder of the pharmaceutical drugstores and later of Chocolats Menier. Although this wealthy 19th-century industrialist family gradually abandoned their pharmaceutical heritage, they were responsible for numerous discoveries and inventions in the field. That's why the museum houses the Menier droguier, a monumental therapeutic arsenal of 755 jars, with its crayfish eyes, sulphur flower, lead pencil and other gems that we can scarcely imagine being used today!

Opened in 2010, the Musée de la Pharmacie showcases thousands of items, some of which are almost five centuries old. Apothecary's objects and utensils, vintage pharmacy jars, antique books, posters, caricatures, prints... Curiosities that you'll discover with interest alongside guide Camille Jolin. Before arriving at today's scientific knowledge, many people tried their hand at preparing remedies, without much success. Indeed, until recently, people used highly toxic substances to treat themselves!

Did you know that until the 19th century, doctors and pharmacists used theriac, a preparation known since Antiquity, containing some fifty components, including a high dose of opium, which was supposed to cure just about every ailment in existence? In those days, this panacea was displayed in imposing vases like the one on display at the Musée de la Pharmacie! Many amusing anecdotes punctuate the visit, helping us to grasp the progress of medicine over the centuries.

To discover this exceptional place, you can take a guided tour of the Menier family, or contact Camille Jolin at contact_app@ordre.pharmacien.fr. The collections manager offers free tours by appointment only, Monday to Thursday. To get to the Musée de la Pharmacie, take metro line 2 and get off at Monceau.)