Let me start by saying that the pharmacy is actually listed as a monument. It was first opened in 1897 and at the time it was one of the biggest in the world. It wasn’t just the façade and counter area — in the backroom there was a whole workshop where medicines were prepared. Initially, it belonged to the apothecary Tesch and after he moved on to the world of finance, his brother took over.
Now, why is it called Lejonet, which means “lion” in Swedish? There weren’t that many pharmacies in the 18th and 19th centuries, so it was agreed that whenever a new one was opened it should have an animal symbol above the entrance to differentiate it from other pharmacies and once this one was built it got a lion.
In 2009 it became one of only 4 pharmacies in Sweden of “cultural and historical value” and, when you enter, you can see for yourself why that is. Everything looks like it was still the 19th century, beautiful interiors and you almost want to catch a cold just so you have to go there and buy something. I’m neither an architect nor a pharmacist and yet I always just end up staring in awe at this mix between a museum and a shop.
