The announcement was made today by Patrimonio Nacional: after more than a decade hidden from the view of the people of Madrid – 12 years, to be exact – a historic room of the Royal Palace of Madrid will receive visitors again: it is the Royal Apothecary of the Royal Palace of Madrid.
The historic room closed in 2013 but now, thanks to a collaboration agreement signed by Patrimonio Nacional and the Consejo General de Colegios Farmacéuticos, it will once again be open to the general public once it has been refurbished.
The work will focus on the restoration of the botamen (the set of pharmaceutical bottles), the furniture and the instruments and on fitting out the rooms where the collection will be exhibited. It is expected to be open to the general public by the last quarter of 2026.
A little history of the Royal Apothecary
The Real Botica de Madrid was founded in 1594, under the reign of Philip II, and is nothing less than the germ of what would later become pharmacies, laboratories and even faculties of Pharmacy. However, it has not always been in the location we know it today.
The fire of the old Alcazar destroyed its facilities in 1734, so it had to be rebuilt, and it was reopened under the reign of Charles IV and Maria Luisa of Parma. It was not until 1887 when it was installed in the Royal Palace of Madrid.
Some of the most outstanding objects that will be on display once this historic building reopens its doors are the botámenes of the Fábrica de Cristales de La Granja and Porcelana del Buen Retiro or the Talavera jars from the 17th and 18th centuries. The collection also treasures flasks, redomas (glass vessels) and various laboratory equipment.
On the other hand, the room preserves the furniture of a 20th century laboratory, an office with a library -remodeled in 1891- and an important bibliographic collection that includes incunabula and treatises on disciplines such as medicine, physics and chemistry.