Musée Albarelle
Museum of the Faculty of Pharmacy in Orsay devoted to the history of medicines, pharmacy and health; guided visits by appointment.
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About the museum
The Musée Albarelle was founded in 1992 on the initiative of the Albarelle association, created for the twentieth anniversary of the Faculty of Pharmacy. Among its founders were the faculty, the former Université Paris-Sud, industrialists, pharmacists and enthusiasts. The name recalls the albarelle, a pharmacy jar with a narrow neck that apothecaries used to store dried drugs and medicinal plants.
The collections grew over the years through donations and purchases: rare books on raw materials and remedies (pharmacopoeias, herbals), objects and advertising documents, jars and bottles from hospital apothecaries, mortars, pill boxes and scales from pharmacies, and early machines of the pharmaceutical industry. Paneling and furniture from a late 19th-century pharmacy have been reassembled in the museum.
The museum, housed in the Henri Moissan building on the Université Paris-Saclay campus, opened on December 18, 2023. It aims to preserve pharmaceutical heritage, trace the history of pharmacy and the evolution of medical practice, and bring together the disciplines of pharmacy and chemistry represented in the building.
Highlights
- Educational route through five zones covering the great periods of the pharmacist’s profession
- Chronological timeline of the history of pharmacy in 50 key dates
- Rare books: pharmacopoeias and herbals
- Jars, bottles, mortars, pill boxes and scales from apothecaries and pharmacies
- Paneling and furniture from a late 19th-century pharmacy
Permanent exhibition
- Parcours historique en cinq zones – Educational route through the great periods of pharmacy, with a chronological timeline of 50 key dates.
- Founded
- 1992
- Operated by
- Association Albarelle, Faculté de Pharmacie de l'Université Paris-Saclay
Admission & discounts
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Accessibility
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Kids & families
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Getting there & parking
By public transit
RER B, then bus 91-06, 91-10, 7, 9 or 11.
By car: national road 118, exit 9 “Centre Universitaire”. The museum is in the Henri Moissan building (HM2), on the mezzanine.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
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Events & venue rental
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Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Good to know | Guided visit by appointment, for up to 10 people. Requests are made by email to the contact listed on the museum’s page. |
