History

Since 1857 – already in the 6th generation – the Loetze/Brehm families and the Amts-Apotheke team have advised you on medicines and on promoting and maintaining your health.

The privilege to found the Amts-Apotheke was granted in 1680 by the Principality of Nassau-Usingen. It was run as the court pharmacy until the princely house moved away; only then was it renamed the town pharmacy.

The Nassau Medical Edict of 14 March 1818 divided the Nassau medical and pharmaceutical system into districts (Ämter). From then on, the medical side was headed by a district physician and the pharmaceutical side by a district pharmacist. This is how the court and town pharmacy became today's Amts-Apotheke of the town of Usingen.

When Rudolf Loetze senior acquired the Amts-Apotheke in 1857, the premises also moved from the old location in Apothekergasse, today Wirthstraße, to the house at Marktplatz 17-19.

In 1887 Rudolf's son Dr. Adolf Loetze took over the business and expanded it further. His son Rudolf continued it from 1930. Tragically, all three of his sons died in the Second World War.

The Berlin pharmacist Manfred Brehm joined the family business in 1953 and married Rudolf Loetze's niece Erika Loetze, who had been adopted by the Usingen Loetzes. From 1971 Manfred Brehm ran the pharmacy together with his wife, made major structural changes to the dispensary and added a 200 m² new building in the courtyard of the listed house.

Their son Dr. Rudolf Brehm worked in the pharmacy from 1986. When he took over in 1994, with further renovations, he brought the Amts-Apotheke into the modern age. He succeeded in combining tradition with the demands of the emerging computer-assisted supply of medicines. Together with his wife, pharmacist Elisabeth Brehm, he led the business into the new millennium.

Their son Martin Brehm has been part of the family business since 2016, having previously worked for several years as a pharmacist in southern Germany and Switzerland. In 2023 he took over the Amts-Apotheke Usingen in the 6th generation and has run it as a registered merchant (e.K.) ever since.

The Amts-Apotheke only works as a team. We are grateful that many of our staff have been with us for a long time and have been giving you thorough, competent advice for years.

Because we feel deeply connected to our history, a closer look around our dispensary will reveal many pieces from past eras. And if you visit the German Pharmacy Museum at Heidelberg Castle, you will find some furnishings from the Amts-Apotheke Usingen there.

To support the success of your therapy, we inform you precisely about your medicine and explain the ideal time to take it, side effects and interactions with other preparations you take. Empathy and competence have always been our hallmarks. Come by – we look forward to seeing you!