The Pharmacy Garden at Sorø Museum

Joachim Burser's Pharmacy Garden at Sorø Museum is a historic garden that pays tribute to the German-born physician and botanist Joachim Burser's work with Danish plants in the early 1600th century. The garden recreates parts of Burser's original botanical garden and gives visitors a unique insight into which plants he cultivated and used in his medical practice.

A special feature of the garden are the “red Anemones”, which Burser found at Hjortenæs by Sorø Sø. He described them as “blood red”, and they became part of his private collection. In 2008, a local family rediscovered the flowers, and they were subsequently replanted in the Apotekerhaven. Today they bloom with a beautiful red-violet color – a vivid reminder of Burser’s botanical discoveries.

Joachim Burser (1583–1639) was invited to Denmark in 1625 by King Christian IV to teach medicine and botany at the Royal Knightly Academy in Sorø – an elite school for the king’s sons and young nobles. At his home, he established a small garden with medicinal plants and rare ornamental plants, some of which still grow wild in the area, such as the Flaked Swallowtail and the Spring-Brunrod.

In 1631, Burser was also appointed apothecary in Sorø and was given permission to operate a pharmacy with a license to “establish and maintain a pharmacy in Sorø with the obligation to always maintain a skilled pharmacist.”

Through his work as a doctor, teacher and pharmacist, he documented plants and their medicinal uses, both from his own garden and from the area around Sorø.

One of Burser's most important legacies is Burser's Herbarium, also called Hortus Drycus, as well as the associated Danish Flora Manuscript – a manuscript with descriptions of 114 Danish plants, including name, habitat, flowering time and use. His herbarium included a total of over 3.200 different plant species, pressed and collected in 25 volumes during travels throughout Europe.

After Burser's death in 1639, his herbarium had a turbulent fate. During the Swedish Wars of 1658-59, it was taken as spoils of war and later ended up at Uppsala University in Sweden, where 23 of the original 25 volumes are still kept under controlled conditions. They can be visited by prior appointment.

The Apotekerhaven in Sorø brings Burser's botanical heritage to life and conveys the story of how plants were used in medicine in the 1600th century - a fascinating bridge between the knowledge of the past and today's interest in botany and natural medicine.

Open 24 hours a day – free admission.