7

Exoticism at the Upper Market

Bear and deer were probably not deemed suitable as an eyecatcher so the “Privilegierte Apotheke” (privileged pharmacy” at the Upper Market had the image of something more outlandish painted above the entrance and was since called “Black Elephant” (Zum schwarzen Elefanten).
Many of the goods that were trade in pharmacies like this came from distant shores: Pepper, ginger, nutmeg, safron and cloves, cinnamon and brazilwood gum arabic, wax, gypsum, soap almonds, figs and grapes [s.u.]. The first pharmacies as we know them today in Germany were probably founded around the late 13th centuryin larger cities that were on the rise. They normally were located near the city hall; from there the magistrate kept them under close scrutiny.