The newly opened exhibit "750 Years of Pharmacy in Croatia” in Rijeka celebrates the 750th anniversary of this profession, which can probably be traced back to the central town square of Trogir. The organisers of the exhibit in the Rijeka Sugar Palace are the JGL Pharmacy Museum and the City Museum of Rijeka. The exhibition aims to bring visitors the many interesting facts on pharmacy through the centuries.
"Pharmacy has made an undeniable contribution to human civilisation and culture. Throughout history, drugs have been manufactured only in pharmacies, and the pharmacy laboratory was a veritable factory of pharmaceutical and chemical products. Today, however, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the industry faces challenges and expectations that are greater than ever and crucial to the health of our civilisation. As JGL is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, and since it’s been a year since we founded the JGL Museum of Pharmacy, we consider it our responsibility to pay tribute to pharmacists and the pharmaceutical profession,” says Ivo Usmiani, President of JGL’s Management Board.
The fact that pharmacy is one of the most prominent professions that Croatia can boast is evidenced by one of a total of six segments of the exhibit dedicated to the 120th anniversary of the publication of the "Croatian-Slavonian Pharmacopoeia”. This is the first pharmacopoeia written in Croatian, which experts have declared to be one of the best in Europe. The exhibit celebrating 750 years of pharmacy in Croatia is also an important event for museums in general, says Ervin Dubrović, director of the City Museum of Rijeka.
"We are delighted that the exhibition is being held in our Sugar Palace, and we are even more so that the JGL Pharmacy Museum is celebrating its first anniversary. By establishing the Palace and opening a permanent exhibit of the modern history of Rijeka, as well as by founding the JGL Pharmacy Museum, we have created important museums and a significantly stronger museum landscape in Rijeka. We can all benefit from organising such specialised exhibits in cooperation with successful companies such as JGL from Rijeka. This is an excellent promotion opportunity for the profession, which has its representatives in Rijeka, and it certainly serves to promote our Palace museum, which will also be celebrating its first anniversary in the near future,” says Dubrović.
Apart from Trogir, other pharmacies in Dubrovnik, Zagreb and Rijeka also contributed to the history of pharmacy. Visitors will have the chance to familiarise themselves with interesting materials from their pasts. This is a great opportunity to evaluate the contribution of pharmacies to the development of communities in which they operated over the centuries.
"Rijeka’s pharmaceutical heritage is an inseparable part of our city’s history, mostly because, in addition to their primary purpose, pharmacies have significantly contributed to the culture of living and urban architecture of centuries past. The Museum of Pharmacy displays the history and importance of pharmacy in Rijeka in a modern, appealing and educational way, and the entire project is a synergy of knowledge, science, economy and culture, which is why it is invaluable. That is why I am especially glad that the exhibit was set up in the newly renovated Sugar Palace. It is a fascinating museum dedicated to the history of Rijeka, whose quality will attract many visitors, guests, tourists and friends of our city who appreciate culture, one of the key drivers of urban tourism,” says Rijeka Mayor Marko Filipović, adding that the impressive 750th anniversary of pharmacy in Croatia, as well as the 30th anniversary of JGL and the first of the Pharmacy Museum, is indeed a cause for celebration.
The author of the exhibit is Marin Pintur, director and curator of the JGL Pharmacy Museum, and it will remain on display until 9 January 2022.