2020 Volume 55 Issue 2 Pages 210-217
Objective： The Town Hall Pharmacy in Tallinn (Estonia) has existed in the same premises for 598 years. We studied the history of pharmacy, and clarified the reasons why the pharmacy has such a long history. Methods： In 2018, Aarn Ruber wrote a book in English entitled The Story of Town Hall Pharmacy. The authors of this report (K.K. and M.O.) visited the pharmacy in June 2019, and obtained the book. J.O. translated the book, and prepared this report with our photos. Results and Discussion：The reasons include the following 4 items. 1. At various periods in history, the right of possession for the pharmacy has been decided after negotiation between the city office of Tallinn and the pharmacist. 2. The semiofficial pharmacy is located in the north-eastern corner of the central plaza of Tallinn city. The pharmacy has been frequented by many customers through the years. 3. The pharmacy operated in business for 328 years from 1583 until 1911 by ten generations of the Burchart family (German family line). 4. The successive pharmacists of the pharmacy had strong ties with town's people during 598 years, and worked even when the city was infected with the plague. The pharmacist, therefore, has been respected by the people. Conclusion： The semiofficial pharmacy operation, the contribution by ten generations of the Burchart family line, and the heartful sense of responsibility of successive pharmacists made it possible for the pharmacy to continue to operate for 598 years, the longest such operation in Europe.
