The only pharmacy museum in Belarus is located on the central square of Hrodna, next to the cathedral Catholic church.

Since 1662, the Jesuit Order has had a monopoly on teaching pharmaceutical art. Pharmacies existed in almost all Jesuit collegiums of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania: in Niasviž, Viĺnia, Brest, Pinsk, Polack, Navahrudak and also in Hrodna. The pharmacy of the Hrodna Jesuit College, founded in 1687, initially dispensed medicines to monks and students of the Jesuit school free of charge. But since 1709, when a new building with a separate entrance from Rynačnaja Square was erected for it, the pharmacy began to work for the entire city.

The rectangular two-storey building of the pharmacy was built in the Baroque style and divided into two parts: the main one, with premises on two floors, and the auxiliary one, connected with the collegium. The pharmacy was separated from the church by a courtyard.

In 1773, the activities of the Jesuit collegium, like the order itself, were banned. The pharmacy was transferred to the medical academy, opened in Hrodna in 1775. In the 19th century, Kazimir Stefanoŭski opened a branch of the Red Cross on the basis of the pharmacy.

In the second half of the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th century, the pharmacy was rebuilt. Since 1950, the pharmacy building was used as a warehouse, furniture salon, Teacher's House.

The pharmacy resumed its activities there only in independent Belarus in 1996. There are trade departments, a museum exposition and auxiliary premises in the ancient halls with vaulted ceilings decorated with artistic forging.

After reconstruction, the museum exposition became a hall with an area of ​​50 square meters, divided into three zones. In the first zone a corner of an ancient herbal laboratory has been restored, in the second – a fragment of the recipe hall at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. The third zone reflects the rich history of the pharmacy, which tells about the main stages of its activity.

Publication date: 20.08.2020.

---

For convenient navigation through the landmarks, use the FREE mobile program