Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The pharmacy of the Cerf, located at 11 rue Mercière and 10 place de la Cathédrale in Strasbourg, finds its origins in a first mention in 1268, where an apothecary settles facing the cathedral. A fire ravages the neighborhood in the same year, resulting in the reconstruction of the stall between 1298 and 1300. The Philippi family, powerful and influential, ran apothecary until 1398, with members in political positions such as Stettmeister or senators. The house, rebuilt after a new fire in 1466, became a home for personalities like Aeneas Sylvius Piccolomini in 1432.

Over the centuries, the house underwent several major transformations. Between 1467 and 1469, a reconstruction enlarged the building, while in 1497 two adjoining houses were assembled to form a decorated commercial space. In the 16th century, works strengthened the corbellation and unified facades, notably under the impetus of Albrecht Wessner in 1598. The pharmacy, named Zu Guldinen Hirsch ("In Golden Deer") in 1635, became permanent under the Spielmanns, an apothecary dynasty that further expanded in 1713.

In the 18th century, the pharmacy also hosts the courses of Jacques Reinbold Spielmann, a professor of medicine of which Goethe was a pupil. Despite a decline in the late 18th century and threats of destruction in the 19th century for unsanitary reasons, the building was preserved. It was listed as a historic monument in 1936-1937, and was registered in 2000 as a symbol of its heritage importance and its history related to the medicine and trade of Strasbourg.

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