Introduction
The more one becomes acquainted with the history of Jáchymov, the more surprising its modesty appears. The town that gave the world the thaler, stood at the origins of occupational medicine and shaped mining law seems to overlook its own achievements. One of them is the pharmacy. When searching today for the oldest pharmacy in the Czech Republic, one most often encounters Prague, Brno or Klatovy. Jáchymov is mentioned only rarely, although it was here that the first true public pharmacy in the proper sense of the word was established.
Prague, Brno and Klatovy
References to pharmacies in Prague from the reign of Wenceslas II cannot be regarded as pharmacies in the modern sense. They were rather the residences of physicians or barber-surgeons who prepared their own ointments and remedies for their patients. They were not independent establishments where the public could purchase ready-made medicines. Prague itself today lists as its oldest documented pharmacy the Dittrich Pharmacy, founded in 1755 as the “Golden Lion” pharmacy at Pohořelec. It was later relocated several times and reached its present location in 1801.
The Brno pharmacy “U Červeného raka” originated in the first half of the seventeenth century and is notable for having remained at the same site to this day, albeit in a newer building. Yet it does not date back to the sixteenth century. Klatovy cites the year 1639 and proudly presents preserved Baroque furnishings from 1773. This case, however, does not represent the oldest pharmacy in the country either. The hospital in Kuks, often described as the second oldest example, contains a Baroque pharmacy from the mid-eighteenth century, whose furnishings are now part of the exhibition of the Czech Pharmaceutical Museum.
Healthcare in Jáchymov
In Jáchymov, the situation was different. As early as 1518, the Mining Code issued by the Schlik family and printed in Leipzig addressed workplace injuries and the costs of treating miners. It required mine owners to pay injured miners their full wages for four to eight weeks and to cover the costs of medicines and medical care. This was an exceptionally modern social measure with few parallels in contemporary Europe.
In 1523, the Jáchymov mine physician Václav Payer published a treatise on occupational diseases of miners, considered the oldest documented work on occupational medicine in the world. He described not only illnesses but also methods of treatment and the medicines used. The logical outcome of this medical infrastructure was the establishment of an independent pharmacy.
The Foundation of the Pharmacy in 1526
In 1526, the son of mint master Georg Sturtz received permission to open a public pharmacy in Jáchymov. It was a pharmacy in the modern sense – a place where medicines were prepared and dispensed on the basis of medical prescriptions as well as direct customer requests. This year marks the documented existence of the oldest public pharmacy on the territory of today’s Czech Republic.
The Building and Its Transformations
The building that housed the pharmacy underwent many changes over the centuries. Courts, a health centre and even an inn operated there. However, the tradition of healing never completely disappeared from this place. Today, it once again serves as a site dedicated to natural products and handmade preparations from the Ore Mountains, symbolically closing the historical circle.
Jáchymov in Kuks
An interesting fact is that the original pharmacy repositories from the Jáchymov pharmacy can now be seen as part of the “History of Pharmacies” tour in Kuks, where they are presented within the broader history of Czech pharmacy. This detail further confirms the importance of the Jáchymov pharmacy in the national context.
Conclusion
Jáchymov is therefore not only a town of silver and the thaler. It is also the place where the oldest public pharmacy in the Czech lands was established. And once again, it proves that some of its greatest achievements often remain overlooked.
The current herbal shop and its range of natural products from the Ore Mountains can be found here: http://www.krusnohorskaapatyka.cz/
