DR. PHARMACIST'S PHARMACY POEHL

Founded in 1760, this pharmacy is the oldest in the city. It owes its reputation and aura to the famous Dr. Poehl and his sons. As early as 1871, it was the official pharmacy of the imperial court. Dr. Poehl's heir, his son Alexander, is famous for the introduction of dosed tablets and the invention of an ampoule for dosing and storing sterile injectable solutions. Located on the ground floor of a private medical centre, this venerable house served as a pharmacy until 2019, when it was converted into a pharmacopoeia museum. The period furniture has remained (or has been recreated identically following the terrible fire of 2005). Medical and laboratory utensils, copper, brass and woodwork, and even a stuffed crocodile (once the local symbol of pharmacies) can be seen. The good doctor's telephone is still there as well as a genuine National cash register that still works. We are greeted by guides dressed in white lab coats. Alas! the visit in French or English is not yet available, but you can still explore this small museum on a self-guided tour if you are not Russian-speaking. In the courtyard of the building remains the old chimney of the brick oven of the Doctor's laboratory covered with figures up to its ridge. The urban legend says that Poehl was an alchemist, that he succeeded in creating griffins (creatures half eagle, half lion) that would still fly over the city at night. Another legend says that the Doctor worked on turning mercury into gold while finding the Philosopher's Stone. Some of these legends were inspired by an enigmatic and offbeat artist who lived in the building during the 1990s, Sergei Kostroma. He is notably responsible for the mysterious figures on the tower, which was overhung by a giant egg in a false cardboard nest until the 2000s. The installation was called the "Egg Monument". It was a double homage to Workers' Solidarity Day (May ^1st) and Orthodox Easter. The installation of the egg on the chimney symbolized the union of workers, artists and religious figures. And the numbering of the bricks on the Tower is a reference to the pharmacist who patiently drew up his inventory by putting numbers on his drugs and preparations in his official register.