Latvian Museum of Pharmacy

Pauls Stradiņš Museum of the History of Medicine

The Pauls Stradiņš Museum of the History of Medicine stands as one of the world's three largest medical history museums, established in 1957 by Professor Pauls Stradiņš (1896-1958), a renowned Latvian surgeon, oncologist, and medical historian who dedicated his life to documenting the evolution of medicine from ancient shamanic practices to modern scientific breakthroughs. This extraordinary institution, housed in a magnificent Neo-Renaissance building designed by Baltic German architect Heinrich Karl Scheel in 1875, contains over 203,000 artifacts that chronicle the development of medicine and pharmacy across centuries, including an exceptional collection originally assembled by Latvian pharmacist Dāvis Blūmentāls and Professor Jānis Maizīte, with significant contributions from the pharmaceutical societies of Riga and Kurzeme that were integrated into the museum's holdings in 1938. The museum's comprehensive permanent exhibition features meticulously recreated medieval monastery hospitals and pharmacies designed by Professor Stradiņš himself, showcasing historical pharmaceutical equipment, alchemical instruments, and traditional healing practices alongside dramatic displays of medieval medical treatments including plague houses, witch trials, mercury vapor baths, and early surgical procedures without anesthesia. Notable highlights include the museum's medieval town diorama, authentic apothecary reconstructions with period-appropriate pharmaceutical vessels and equipment, extensive collections of medical instruments from the 19th century professionalization of medicine, and unique exhibits featuring the personal effects of Nobel Prize winner Ilya Mechnikov, while the museum's space medicine hall displays remarkable artifacts from Soviet space exploration including the preserved remains of famous space-traveling animals. The museum serves as both a testament to Professor Stradiņš' vision of preserving medical heritage and a living educational institution that bridges traditional pharmaceutical knowledge with modern medical science, offering visitors an immersive journey through the cultural, social, and scientific influences that shaped healthcare practices from ancient folk medicine and monastic pharmacy traditions to contemporary pharmaceutical innovations. The architectural grandeur of the building itself, with its carefully restored interiors and period-appropriate museum displays, creates an authentic atmosphere that enhances the visitor experience while serving as a vital research resource for medical professionals and historians interested in the evolution of pharmaceutical sciences and medical practice.