Town Hall Pharmacy

Did you know that in the very heart of Tallinn lies a place where time seems to have stood completely still? The Tallinn Town Hall Pharmacy (Raeapteek) is the oldest continuously operating pharmacy in Europe that has remained in the exact same premises. Its history dates back to at least 1422, when it was first mentioned in written records—and at that point, the pharmacy was already on its third owner! The glorious history of Town Hall Pharmacy is inextricably linked with the Burchart family, who ran the pharmacy for a staggering ten generations. According to family tradition, the first-born son was always named Johann, and it isn’t hard to guess what profession awaited him. Naturally, one day, he would become the town pharmacist.

Even if you have no health concerns, Raeapteek is well worth a visit just for its sheer antiquity and mesmerizing atmosphere. In the pharmacy’s second room, you will find a fascinating museum where you can marvel at ancient remedies and their unbelievable ingredients—and hope that today’s medicines have replaced them with something else entirely. But then again, who knows? Perhaps you can still find traces of mummy pieces or dog dung hidden in the recipes of some ancient miracle cure.

Available upon request for an additional fee:

• Tasting of claret (spiced wine) and/or marzipan;

• Crushing medicinal herbs, culinary herbs, and spices with a mortar and pestle;

• Crafting Town Hall herb salt, spiced sugar, herbal tea blends, or bath salts.