Palanga Old Pharmacy

The history of this impressive wooden building dates back to 1827, when one of the oldest pharmacies in Lithuania was founded by Wilhelm Johann Grüning, a German from Riga. The founder of the pharmacy patented the original production of 27 herbal extracts called “Trejos devynerios”. The father and son Griuningas, owners of the pharmacy in Palanga in the 19th and early 20th centuries, became famous for their loyalty to Lithuania during the years of the printing ban: they printed prescriptions and medicine labels in Lithuanian.

In 1910 the pharmacy was bought by the German provisor Wilhelm Berting, and in 1923 it was inherited by his son Oskar Alexander Berting. In 1937 the pharmacy was owned by the heirs of O.A.A. Berting. Around 1938, the pharmacy building was leased to Zigmas Bagdonavičius. Between 1940 and 1944, the library was located in the hall of the northern wing. From 1944 to 1951, the building was not used for its intended purpose: it was the headquarters of the NKVD (People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs). This historical fact is commemorated by a plaque on a stone pedestal to the right of the main façade of the building. In 1988, Albertas Žulkus erected a cross of exiles in the pharmacy courtyard. The ownership status of the pharmacy changed in the post-war period, when it became a state enterprise.

After reconstructions in the 1950s and 1970s, the pharmacy was also located in the southern part of the building. In 1992 the building was declared a cultural monument of regional importance. To this day, the building is still used for its original, historically established commercial and residential functions (in the southern part of the house).

Vytauto 33, Palanga