Lithuanian Institutions Join the Council of Europe's Cultural Route of Historic Pharmacies
The Council of Europe's Cultural Routes has added a new 48th newly certified route, the Historic Pharmacies and Medicinal Gardens. The Medicinal and Herbal Plants Science Sector of the Botanical Garden of Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas, and the Museum of the History of Medicine and Pharmacy of the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences are the only ones from Lithuania to be included in the Cultural Route, which was approved by the Board of Directors of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes (EPA) on 24 June of this year.
The route of Europe's historic pharmacies and pharmacy gardens tells the history of the development of botany and pharmacy in Europe. Medicinal plant gardens were places where herbalists planted and studied plants with medicinal properties. Historic pharmacies with collections of antique bottles, recipe books and medical instruments reflect the development of pharmaceutical science.
The route guides visitors through the traces of this cultural heritage, both tangible and intangible. The Cultural Route's landmarks lead through ancient Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cultures with links across Europe to contemporary practices. The route allows visitors to discover the history of European pharmacy by exploring the medico-pharmacological knowledge and traditional practices associated with medicinal plants, which are an integral part of our heritage. Visitors can enjoy immersive experiences both on-site and virtually by visiting medicinal plant gardens, historic pharmacies, and accessing often inaccessible sites.
The route spans the entire continent, incorporating specific and significant sites from different countries, creating a common thread that reminds us of our common roots.