Kraków

Established in 1946 by Stanisław Proń at the Regional Chamber of Pharmacists in Kraków, the Museum of Pharmacy at Jagiellonian University stands as one of the largest and most significant pharmacy museums in Europe. Housed in a magnificent historic townhouse on Floriańska Street along Kraków's Royal Route, the museum occupies a building that showcases remarkable architectural heritage with Gothic cellars, Renaissance and Baroque ceilings, and 19th-century frescoes. The museum's extraordinary collection spans over 22,000 pieces, documenting the evolution of pharmaceutical practice from the Middle Ages to modern times, including rare pharmaceutical instruments, laboratory equipment, mortars, maiolica vessels from European manufactories, and complete reconstructions of 18th-century monastic pharmacies and 19th-century pharmacy interiors. Notable exhibits include displays dedicated to pioneering figures such as Ignacy Łukasiewicz, the pharmacist who invented the modern kerosene lamp, and Tadeusz Pankiewicz, who courageously operated the "Under the Eagle" pharmacy in the Kraków Ghetto during Nazi occupation, saving Jewish lives. Visitors experience a comprehensive journey through five floors from basement to attic, with an alchemist's workshop complete with hanging specimens in the cellar and traditional herbal medicine displays in the upper floors, creating an immersive exploration of pharmaceutical history that typically takes 90 minutes to complete. The museum also maintains an extensive library and archives containing ancient herbaria, pharmacopoeias, and historical documents, serving both as a tourist attraction and an active research facility within the Faculty of Pharmacy.