Palanga’s old pharmacy

The history of this impressive wooden building began in 1827, when one of the oldest pharmacies in Lithuania was founded by Vilhelmas Johanas Griuningas, a German from Riga. The founder of the pharmacy patented the production of an original extract of 27 medicinal herbs called “Trejos devynerios” (Three Nines). The owners of the Palanga pharmacy in the 19th and early 20th centuries, father and son Griuningai, became famous for their loyalty to Lithuania during the years of press censorship: they printed prescriptions and medicine labels in Lithuanian.
In 1910, the pharmacy was bought by German pharmacist Vilhelmas Bertingas, and in 1923 it was inherited by his son Oskaras Aleksandras Bertingas. In 1937, the pharmacy belonged to O. A. Bertingo’s heirs. Around 1938, the pharmacy building was rented to Zigmas Bagdonavičius. From 1940 to 1944, a library was located in the northern wing hall. From 1944 to 1951, the building was used for other purposes: it housed the headquarters of the NKVD (People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs). This historical fact is commemorated on a memorial plaque attached to a stone pedestal on the right side of the main facade of the building. In 1988, a cross dedicated to the victims of deportation, designed by Albertas Žulkus, was erected in the pharmacy courtyard. After the war, the pharmacy changed ownership and became a state-owned enterprise.
After renovations in the 1960s and 1970s, the pharmacy was also set up in the southern part of the building. In 1992, the building was given the status of a regionally significant immovable cultural heritage site. To this day, the building is used for its original, historically established commercial and residential (in the southern part of the building) functions.