Pharmaceutical Heritage in Focus at International Pharmacists' Conference
The 25th International Scientific-Practical Conference BaltPharm Forum 2025 will take place on April 4-6. The conference, titled "Transformation towards Sustainable Pharmacy: From Tradition to Innovation," will explore the significance of preserving pharmaceutical heritage sites, the role of the European Green Deal in sustainability, and cross-border collaborations to promote pharmaceutical heritage. A key focus will be the newly certified Cultural Route – the European Route of Historic Pharmacies and Medicinal Plant Gardens – which will be added to the Council of Europe's Cultural Routes in 2024. Notably, two Lithuanian sites will be included: The Medicinal and Herbal Plants Science Sector of the Botanical Garden of Kaunas Vytautas Magnus University, and The Museum of the History of Medicine and Pharmacy of the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences.
The conference will take place in Palanga, Gabija Hotel & Conferences, Vytauto st. 40 / S. Darius and S. Girėno st. 2.
The conference will feature speeches from the President of the Lithuanian Pharmacists' Union, Prof. habil. Dr. Ona Ragažinskienė, Head of the Science Sector of Medicinal and Herbal Plants at the Botanical Garden of Vytautas Magnus University; Prof. Maria Luisa Vázquez de Ágredos Pascual, Director of Aromas Itinerarium Salutis (AIS) and Coordinator of the Cultural Route of European Historic Medicinal and Herbal Gardens (Spain); Tanelis Kuusmann, President of the Estonian Society of Pharmacists; Dace Kikute, President of the Latvian Pharmacists' Society; Vytenis Andriukaitis, Member of the European Parliament's Committee on Environment, Public Health, and Food Safety; and other distinguished speakers.
The conference programme is available here.
No registration is required. If you are interested, please contact: [email protected].
On February 27, 2025, the 3rd General Assembly of the Association Aromas Itinerarium Salutis (AIS)—which oversees the international platform of the Council of Europe's Cultural Route 48: European Historic Pharmacies and Pharmacological Gardens—ratified the official appointment of Prof. habil. Dr. Ona Ragažinskienė from Vytautas Magnus University as a new member of the AIS Scientific Committee.
Details:
What is the Cultural Route of European Historic Medicinal and Medicinal Plant Gardensof the Council of Europe, and what are its objectives?
The initiative to unite historic pharmacies and medicinal plant gardens began in 2021 with the founding of the Aromas Itinerarium Salutis Association in Valencia, Spain. The association was established to preserve and promote both the material and intangible cultural heritage of Europe, particularly that linked to the history of pharmaceutical science and Materia Medica.
During the 2nd General Assembly of the Historical Pharmacies and Medicinal Plant Gardens Forum, titled "Legacy of Hygiene: Building the Future from Heritage through Education," organized by the Aromas Itinerarium Salutis Association in Rijeka, Croatia (March 11-13, 2024), four more European countries—Bulgaria, Lithuania, France, and Hungary—joined the existing members.
Today, the Historic Medicinal and Herbal Gardens Route of the Council of Europe includes 23 institutions from 11 European countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Portugal, Romania, Spain, and Switzerland. The route focuses on:
- Research and development projects for the conservation and dissemination of this historical heritage,
- Cultural and educational exchanges for young people through Erasmus+ programmes,
- Contemporary cultural and artistic practices,
- Preservation, documentation, and promotion of Europe’s rich ancestral heritage, and
- The creation of a sustainable, scientific, inclusive, and universally accessible model of cultural tourism.
As Prof. Maria Luisa Vázquez de Ágredos Pascual has stated, this route is "a unique international platform linking emblematic sites such as monastic and public pharmacies, ancient hospitals, historic libraries, and medicinal plant gardens. In these places, the transmission of knowledge and traditional practices is intertwined with the therapeutic, hygienic, cosmetic, ritual, artistic, and culinary uses of medicinal plants, which have fostered dialogue between cultures and religions for centuries. It reveals the common roots of European culture and ethno-heritage, represents living nature, and promotes cultural identity, social cohesion, and the sustainable development of humanity and its activities."
The European Historic Pharmacies and Medicinal Plant Gardens Route of the Council of Europe tells the story of the development of botany and pharmacy in Europe. Medicinal gardens were once places where herbalists cultivated and studied plants with healing properties, preserving ancestral knowledge that continues to this day. Historic pharmacies, with their collections of antique bottles, recipe books, and medical instruments, reflect the evolution of pharmaceutical science.
This route seamlessly combines cultural and natural heritage, inviting visitors to explore unique botanical gardens and delve into the history of medicine. As a Cultural Route of the Council of Europe, it highlights historical heritage as a source of memory, cultural identity, and sustainable human development.
Discover pharmacy museums and collections across Europe. Experience and learn about Materia Medica in medicinal plant gardens!
Want to explore all the sites along this Cultural Route in Europe? Here you’ll find the full list—including two newly recognized Lithuanian sites!
https://aromassalutis.eu/en/destinations-en/