Sunday, 13. 5. 2018

Renovated Mirje Pharmacy

On 9 May, Ljubljana City Holiday, the renovated Mirje Pharmacy, one of the oldest pharmacies in the city, opened its doors. This precious gem in our cultural heritage returned to its former glory thanks to the Ljubljana Pharmacy.

Within the scope of the renovation the pharmacy premises were fully refurbished and the original, more than a century old furniture and part of the equipment were restored. As the Ljubljana Pharmacy is aware of the importance of preserving cultural heritage they carried out the renovation together with the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage. Not only did the renovation provide better and easier access to medications and other health care products for Ljubljana’s citizens, it also preserved a part of invaluable history for the coming generations.

About the pharmacy

The head of the Mirje Pharmacy is Assistant Doctor Boštjan Martinc, Master of Pharmacy, Clinical Pharmacists. The pharmacy employs three Masters of Pharmacy and a pharmaceutical technician. The professional staff, in addition to offering advice to customers when buying medications and other health care products, is providing free-of-charge professional services, such as an overview of medication use, issuing a personal medication card, as well as giving healthy lifestyle advice and skin-care tips.

The Mirje Pharmacy is open Monday to Friday from 8.00 until 20.00 and Saturdays from 8.00 until 13.00.

The history of the Mirje Pharmacy

The Mirje Pharmacyis one of the oldest pharmacies in Ljubljana. Its beginnings go back to the year 1906 when Andrey Bohinc, who completed his master studies in pharmacy in Vienna, obtained a licence to open a pharmacy at the Golden Crown at the crossroads of Prešeren Street, Roman Street and Trieste Road. More than two decades later the pharmacy moved to a new modern building across the street but history was not kind to it – it was badly damaged during the war, postwar and denationalisation periods.

After the war, in 1948, the Mirje Pharmacy was established. Pavle Bohinc, Master of Pharmacy, son of Andrej Bohinc, left the Mirje Pharmacy to the Faculty of Pharmacy to use it for study and research activities. The pharmaceutical services in the Pharmacy Mirje are performed by the Ljubljana Pharmacy. Since 3 October 2011 the Mirje Pharmacy was closed. After six and a half years the Ljubljana Pharmacy completed the comprehensive renovation valued at almost 300,000 EUR (excluding VAT) within the scope of which all 166 square metres of the pharmacy premises were refurbished, additional equipment was made, and the original furniture and part of the equipment were restored in the office. In the pharmacy customers can admire the original furniture, the cash register, the chandelier and the skilfully made containers. There are also two rooms set up for the practical training of students within the scope of the University of Pharmacy in Ljubljana with which the Ljubljana Pharmacy has been closely cooperating for many years.

At the opening the Ljubljana Pharmacy made four donations. By donating three defibrillators to the public passenger traffic company LPP it continues to equip city busses. A donation of 5,000 EUR was made to the Home Care Institute Ljubljana, and another two donations went to the Museum and Galleries of Ljubljana (7,000 EUR) and to the cultural and congress centre Cankarjev dom (3,000 EUR) for the Ivan Cankar exhibition.