My route
Sign in
WorldBelarusGrodnoJesuit Pharmacy MuseumMy routeRoute

Jesuit Pharmacy Museum, Grodno

The cream two-storey Jesuit Pharmacy in Grodno: green roof, balcony with red flowers, gilded Pharmacy and Museum signs
Photo: Mike1979 Russia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

The essentials in 10 seconds

Entry
Free or a token fee — unofficial
verifyingFrom reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go.
Hours
Pharmacy daily 8:00–22:00; museum room in the daytime, roughly until 19:00 (unofficial)
Time on site
A typical visit without queueing. In high season add 15–30 minutes.
30 min
With kids
Fine with kids
Pharmacy
Daily 8:00–22:00
officialConfirmed by an official source: the venue, a ministry or the operator.
Museum room
Daytime, roughly until 19:00 — unofficial
verifyingFrom reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go.
Guided tour
Paid, arranged with the staff
verifyingFrom reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go.
Address
Sovetskaya Square 4, Grodno
officialConfirmed by an official source: the venue, a ministry or the operator.
Coordinates
53.67850, 23.83130YesGo MapGoogleApple
Phone
+375 152 62-42-42
officialConfirmed by an official source: the venue, a ministry or the operator.
Payment
Carry Belarusian rubles in cash; foreign cards work only via non-sanctioned banks
verifyingFrom reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go.
Time needed
20–30 minutes

Key facts

1709the Jesuits built the pharmacy on the market square
2 sourcesEnglish and Russian WikipediaZnai Svoi Krai (my-places.by)
Oldestpharmacy in present-day Belarus — and still trading
2 sourcesEnglish WikipediaPharmatsevticheskiy Vestnik, 2017
1687first written mention of the Jesuit pharmacy in Grodno
2 sourcesRussian WikipediaPharmatsevticheskiy Vestnik, 2017
1996the pharmacy reopened, with a museum added
2 sourcesEnglish and Russian WikipediaPharmatsevticheskiy Vestnik, 2017
1950the year the original pharmacy finally closed, after surviving wars and changes of rule
SourceEnglish and Russian Wikipedia
1988listed as a national historical and cultural monument
2 sourcesRussian WikipediaPharmatsevticheskiy Vestnik, 2017
Gilibertthe French botanist Jean-Emmanuel Gilibert worked here with the Grodno Medical Academy in the 1770s
2 sourcesEnglish and Russian WikipediaPharmatsevticheskiy Vestnik, 2017
1586King Stefan Batory died in Grodno; a museum section covers his autopsy
2 sourcesEnglish and Russian WikipediaPharmatsevticheskiy Vestnik, 2017
Jesuit collegethe pharmacy is part of the same complex as the Farny Cathedral
2 sourcesEnglish and Russian WikipediaZnai Svoi Krai (my-places.by)
Biotestthe Grodno drug maker that runs the pharmacy and museum
2 sourcesEnglish WikipediaBiotest official website

Opening hours and entrance fee

The pharmacy itself is open every day, 8:00–22:00, according to Biotest, the company that runs it. The museum room keeps shorter hours — unofficially, daytime until around 19:00. Weekdays between 10:00 and 18:00 are the safest bet.

There is no official price for the museum. Map listings and guidebooks describe entry as either free or a token fee; a guided talk and taking photos may cost extra (unofficial). The museum's own website would not load when we checked, so call ahead if you want a tour: +375 152 62-42-42.

Paying: bring Belarusian rubles (BYN) in cash. Foreign Visa and Mastercard cards work only at terminals and ATMs of banks not under sanctions, so they can fail without warning. Banks and exchange offices in the centre change euros and dollars.

What is the Jesuit Pharmacy?

It was the pharmacy of Grodno's Jesuit college — the monastery and school whose church is now the Farny Cathedral, right next door. It first treated monks and students, then began selling to townspeople and earning money for the college.

Today the building has two halves. One is an ordinary modern pharmacy with a herbal department selling teas, herbal blends and tinctures. The other is the museum: scales, glass and porcelain jars, instruments and old books under the original vaulted ceilings and wrought-iron fittings.

Tourist guides call it the only pharmacy museum in Belarus, and it is a rare case of an 18th-century monument still doing the job it was built for.

What to see inside

  • The herbalist's “alchemist corner” — retorts, mortars and bundles of dried herbs set up like an old lab.
  • The prescription room from around 1900, with cabinets of jars labelled in Latin.
  • Apothecary scales, weights and vessels — most from the 19th and early 20th centuries, the rarest from the 18th.
  • Prescription labels from pharmacies across the Grodno region and drug advertising from the 1920s–30s.
  • A section on the autopsy of King Stefan Batory, who died suddenly in Grodno in December 1586.
  • Herbariums the museum links to the writer Eliza Orzeszkowa, who lived in Grodno and loved botany.
  • The vaulted ceilings and ironwork of the building itself, visible even from the shop floor.

How to get to the Jesuit Pharmacy

Tap a route to highlight it on the map.

Loading the map…

on footdestinationStreet view

Where are you starting from?

We’ll draw it on the map on foot and by taxi; metro and buses open in your maps app. Your location isn’t stored.

On foot

  • Farny Cathedral (St Francis Xavier Cathedral) is about 1 min away on foot.
  • Sovetskaya Street is about 5 min away on foot.
  • Bernardine Church is about 6 min away on foot.

More tips

  1. Head for Sovetskaya Square and the Farny Cathedral: the pharmacy is in the same row of buildings, at number 4, with its door on the square.
  2. From Grodno railway station or the bus station next to it, walk about 20 minutes south-west along Ozheshko Street and the pedestrian Sovetskaya Street.
  3. Or take a city bus or a taxi to Sovetskaya Square — 5–10 minutes.
  4. From the pharmacy, the Old and New Castles are about 5 minutes away along Zamkovaya Street; the Fire Tower and the Bernardine Church are within 10 minutes.

Is the Grodno pharmacy museum worth visiting?

Yes, if you are already on Sovetskaya Square: it takes 20 minutes, and nowhere else in Belarus combines a working pharmacy with a museum like this. Children tend to like the scales, retorts and jars.

It is not worth crossing town for on its own. The display is small and the labels are not in English. With one day in Grodno, give your time to the castles, Kalozha Church and the Farny Cathedral, and drop into the pharmacy on the way past.

A short history

The Jesuit pharmacy is first mentioned in 1687. In 1709 the Jesuits gave it its own building on the market square — the one standing today (English Wikipedia dates the construction to 1700–1709).

After the order was suppressed, the Commission of National Education took it over. In the 1770s it belonged to the Grodno Medical Academy, where the French botanist Jean-Emmanuel Gilibert taught; his botanical garden survives as Gilibert Park.

The pharmacy kept trading until 1950, through every change of border and government. The building later held a pharmacy warehouse and a furniture shop. It became a protected monument in 1988, and in 1996 Biotest restored it and reopened the pharmacy with a museum; the first display was built from objects donated by local people.

Before you go: checklist

Ready: 0 of 6

Tick off what is ready — your ticks stay in this browser.

Pharmacy museum vs the Farny Cathedral and the castles

Pharmacy museumyou are here18th-century pharmacy with a museumOld apothecary and herbsSovetskaya Square 420–30 minYes — short and visual
Farny CathedralJesuit baroque cathedralHuge carved altarSovetskaya Square, next door≈ 30 minQuiet, it is a church
CastlesOld and New Castles above the NemanCity history and river views5 minutes' walk from the square1–2 hYes, room to roam

The pharmacy is a quick stop, not a destination. Start at the Farny Cathedral, step into the pharmacy next door and save most of your time for the castles.

Historic Grodno compared

Every historic place in Grodno rated by YesGo. Tap a column heading to sort.

Kalozha Church4630 minFree14 min walk
Farny Cathedral (St Francis Xavier Cathedral)4540 minFree3 min walk
Sovetskaya Street4540 minFree5 min walk
Fire Lookout Tower4520 minFree7 min walk
Bernardine Church4530 minFree7 min walk
Lutheran Church of St John4420 minFree20 min walk
Holy Intercession Cathedral4425 minFree16 min walk
Gilibert Park4340 minFree16 min walk
Jesuit Pharmacy Museumyou are here4130 minFree or token fee (unofficial)—
Old and New Castles402 h10–12 BYN per castle, separate tickets9 min walk

Old Grodno in half a day

Sovetskaya Street from the station, the Farny Cathedral and the pharmacy side by side, the castles and the 12th-century church above the Neman. Add it to your route in one tap — YesGo sorts the timing and walks.

  1. Sovetskaya Street40 min · Free, open 24/7
  2. 6 min walk from the previous stopFarny Cathedral (St Francis Xavier Cathedral)40 min · Free
  3. 3 min walk from the previous stopJesuit Pharmacy Museumyou are here30 min · Free or token fee (unofficial)
  4. 9 min walk from the previous stopOld and New Castles2 h · 10–12 BYN per castle, separate tickets
  5. 7 min walk from the previous stopKalozha Church30 min · Free

5 places · about 4 h 45 min with walks · 25 min on foot in total

Go · my route

Nearby — add to your day

Sovetskaya Street

Grodno, Belarus

40 min · Free, open 24/7 · 5 min walk

Bernardine Church

Grodno, Belarus

30 min · Free · 7 min walk

Fire Lookout Tower

Grodno, Belarus

20 min · Free outside; museum by appointment · 7 min walk

How to do it right

  • Pop in straight after the Farny Cathedral — it is the next building, one minute away.
  • Weekday mornings are quietest at the counter, and staff have more time to talk about the museum.
  • Without a tour, 15 minutes covers the alchemist corner, the prescription room and the vaults.
  • For the best photo of the façade, with its balcony and gilded signs, cross to the far side of the square.
  • From here, walk on to the castles along Zamkovaya Street — five minutes.

Questions

What are the Grodno pharmacy museum opening hours?

The pharmacy is open daily 8:00–22:00. The museum room is open in the daytime, roughly until 19:00 — unofficial, so call ahead if it matters.

Is there an entrance fee?

There is no official price. Unofficially, entry is free or a token fee, with guided tours charged separately.

Where is the Jesuit Pharmacy in Grodno?

At Sovetskaya Square 4, in the city centre, next to the Farny Cathedral — about 20 minutes' walk from the railway station.

How old is the pharmacy?

The building dates from 1709 and the pharmacy is first mentioned in 1687, making it the oldest pharmacy in present-day Belarus.

Can I buy medicine there?

Yes, it is a working pharmacy with a herbal department. Prescription drugs need a Belarusian prescription.

Is it worth visiting?

Yes as a 20-minute stop on Sovetskaya Square; not worth a special trip. The display is small and labels are not in English.

Can I pay by card?

Carry Belarusian rubles in cash. Foreign Visa and Mastercard work only at banks not under sanctions and can be refused.

How long do I need?

20–30 minutes, a little more with a guided talk.

Is it good for kids?

Yes — it is short, and the scales, retorts and jars are easy to enjoy without reading the labels.

Have you been? Was it worth your time?

1 — no, 5 — absolutely

Your vote counts towards the YesGo score.

Sources and fact-check

  • Biotest official website (biotest.by), pharmacy network page: Apteka-Muzey No. 1 — address, phone and hours, 30.10.2026
  • English Wikipedia: Jesuit Pharmacy in Grodno; Russian Wikipedia: Apteka-muzey (Grodno); Wikidata Q3919535
  • Pharmatsevticheskiy Vestnik: “The Jesuit monks' pharmacy”, 23.01.2017
  • Znai Svoi Krai (my-places.by): Grodno. Pharmacy Museum
  • Grodno State Museum of the History of Religion (muzej.by): virtual exhibition “Medicine”
  • Yandex Maps: Apteka-Muzey No. 1 listing, 30.10.2026
  • Aviasales: “How to pay in Belarus in 2026”, 12.03.2026; ATM Fee Saver: money and cards in Belarus, 2026
YesGo editorial team · facts checked 30.10.2026 ·
How we checkedThe pharmacy's address, phone and hours come from Biotest's official website. The museum's own site (am.biotest.by) would not load on 30.10.2026, from our computer or from a server, so the museum room's hours (until 19:00 on its Yandex Maps listing) and the entry fee are marked “verifying”: listings call entry either free or a token fee, and none gives an amount. Historical facts are checked against at least two sources. The building is dated 1709 (Russian Wikipedia, Znai Svoi Krai) or 1700–1709 (English Wikipedia); the first mention is 1687. Sources give Batory's autopsy as 14 or 15 December 1586, so we say December 1586. The size and number of display rooms differ between sources (one 50 m² room or two rooms), so we leave them out. A claim that Wilfrid Voynich worked here appears in only one source and is not used. Card acceptance for foreign visitors depends on the issuing bank, so the payment row is marked “verifying”.

Top YesGo picks: Grodno

Kalozha Church

Grodno, Belarus

30 min · Free

Lutheran Church of St John

Grodno, Belarus

20 min · Free; concerts are ticketed

Gilibert Park

Grodno, Belarus

40 min · Free; rides cost extra

Old and New Castles

Grodno, Belarus

2 h · 10–12 BYN per castle, separate tickets

All places: Grodno →