Pharmacy Museum

Category: Civil Architecture > Museum

District: Lisboa > Lisboa > Lisboa > Santa Catarina

Location:

The Pharmacy Museum is located in the historic Santa Catarina area, in Lisbon. Situated on a street that follows the neighborhood's topography, it is set within a traditional residential area of the city.

Being in this area allows visitors to have a more authentic experience of daily Lisbon life, feeling the characteristic atmosphere of this central yet secluded neighborhood.

Its History:

This cultural space originated from the initiative to preserve and disseminate the memory and evolution of pharmaceutical activity in Portugal. Its initial collection was formed by valuable donations from pharmacists and institutions connected to the health sector.

The museum was inaugurated in June 1996, in the building of the National Association of Pharmacies, strengthening its connection with the history and practice of the pharmaceutical profession in the country.

A Millennial Collection:

The Pharmacy Museum's collection is remarkably comprehensive, covering approximately five millennia of the history of health and the fight against disease across various cultures. Visitors can find objects originating from civilizations as distant as Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, or Rome, among many others.

The collection includes a wide variety of pieces, from apothecary jars and ancient instruments used in the preparation of remedies, to reconstitutions of pharmacies from different eras and locations, illustrating the evolution of healing and care spaces.

Unique Objects:

Among the pieces that make up the museum, some objects with truly unique stories stand out. It is possible to see a portable pharmacy that accompanied explorers on audacious expeditions, such as the one that journeyed to the North Pole in 1911, or aboard a rally car in 2006.

Another point of interest is the presence of a portable pharmacy that was part of the medical equipment on a Space Shuttle Endeavour mission, a remarkable testament to the presence of pharmacology in high-tech and space exploration contexts.

License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt