Horten Pharmacy

Brief information

The most interesting aspects of Hjorten Pharmacy are split between two places: the former pharmacy building remained in Grønland, while its 1861 interior ended up in the Norwegian Museum of Pharmacy History on Bygdøy. So here it is important not only to look at the facade of the architectural monument, but also to remember that the main “interior” part of the old pharmacy is no longer inside it.

The pharmacy opened in 1857 and became the fifth in Christiania. After the fire of 1859, a new building was constructed on the estate according to a design by Chr. H. Grosch; it was completed in 1861. Later, the building changed condition and function several times: a major renovation in 1963 removed the historic furniture from everyday use, the 1986 renovation prepared the building for its further life, and since 2000 the former pharmacy premises have operated as the restaurant and cafe Dattera til Hagen.

What to notice right away

It makes sense to compare three “remnants” of the old pharmacy. The first is the 1861 building itself: it has preserved its location and status as an architectural monument, although it no longer has a pharmacy function. The second is the interior lost to the building: the original furniture and decor did not disappear, but were transferred to a museum, restored, and reassembled according to the original. This fact changes the way one sees the former pharmacy: the emptiness of the old interior inside the building does not mean the loss of its entire material history.

The third detail is the successor to the old pharmacy. The new Apoteket Hjorten now operates at a different address, Smalgangen 5, so the name has continued the pharmacy line separately from the historic building. As a result, the place reads as a disjointed construction: the shell became a restaurant and cafe, the interior became a museum exhibit, and the pharmacy name passed to a new pharmacy.