This year, Rijeka will gain another cultural monument – the Pharmacy Museum. The Museum is the result of a long and carefully planned project developed by JGL in cooperation with the City of Rijeka.
"JGL is heir to a long-standing pharmaceutical tradition, which served as a strong foundation for its development into a renowned international pharmaceutical company. We often go back to our roots and study the extensive historical records on the beginnings of pharmaceutical activity in the region. They can be traced back to 1437 and the records of the city notary Antun de Renno de Mutina, which contain the first tangible evidence of the apothecary Antonio Pertusan from Venice, who leased a pharmacy on the city square. We also have valuable documents, books and other items. In an effort to preserve these records of our time and not forget that which defines us both professionally and personally, we have been working on the idea to found the Pharmacy Museum in Rijeka for a long time now. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Ljekarna Jadran county institution, headed by Director Ines Krajačević, pharmacists Radmila Načeta and Marica Lulić, and Prof. Vladimir Grdinić for donating valuable items. We would also like to thank Prof. Amir Muzur for his strong support for the project", said Ivo Usmiani, President of JGL’s Board of Directors, at the press conference. He also added that 2020 is the perfect time to establish such an institution given that Rijeka is this year’s European Capital of Culture, and JGL wanted to help commemorate the occasion.
The JGL Pharmacy Museum is fully backed by Mayor Vojko Obersnel and Ivan Šarar, head of the Culture Department of the City of Rijeka, because of the city’s long and rich pharmaceutical tradition.
"With its interesting, specific and educational programme, the museum will add to the cultural and tourist offer of both Rijeka and Croatia, and lead to new insights into the pharmaceutical heritage of the region, and the country at large. We are therefore more than happy to support JGL’s initiative and partner with the Rijeka City Museum by providing a suitable space for the City Museum and JGL", says Mayor Vojko Obersnel.
The new museum will be located on Užarska Street. The space is currently under construction and is expected to be open by late September 2020.
"Rijeka City Museum as a project partner has fully embraced and supported the idea. We joined the project team in the process of designing and cataloguing the permanent exhibits of the JGL Pharmacy Museum, and loaned items from our own collection on the Alga pharmaceutical company. We believe that this museum will contribute to the celebration of Rijeka’s title as the European Capital of Culture and afterwards serve as a permanent reminder of the area’s pharmaceutical heritage ", says Ervin Dubrović, Director of Rijeka City Museum.
Some of the exhibits have already been obtained, but the founders believe that many more are kept in private collections. They have invited citizens to reach out if they own anything that belongs to pharmaceutical archives (documents, books, records, etc.) or inventory (equipment, dishes, scales, etc.). In doing so, they can contribute to a faithful reconstruction of the past and become part of the holdings of the JGL Pharmacy Museum in Rijeka.
For all donations, loans and sales of such items please contact Brigita Živanović at +385 98 6295 99 or brigita.zivanovic@jgl.hr.