Semmelweis Museum, Library and Archive of the History of Medicine  | Budapest, Hungary

Semmelweis Orvostörténeti Múzeum, Könyvtár és Levéltár

The museum, which was opened in 1965 in the house where Ignác Semmelweis (1818–1865) was born, has a permanent exhibition that focuses on the history of Western medicine. The exhibition takes visitors on a journey from ancient times to the modern era, providing information not only on the continuous development of medicine but also on the role of medicine and pharmacy in different ages and civilizations. It showcases the diverse and varied origins of medicine and its ever-changing traditions. One of the highlights of the exhibition is a pharmacy interior from 1813, which was part of the third pharmacy in Pest founded in 1786. The Golden Eagle Pharmacy Museum, which is part of the Semmelweis Museum, used to be a pharmacy from the mid-18th century until the First World War. The lower floor of this medieval building was initially used for commercial purposes, and it assumed its current form in the 18th and 19th centuries, when the officina and the laboratory were created. The exhibition, which revolves around the interior of these two main rooms, provides a glimpse into the history of Renaissance and Baroque pharmacy through written, pictorial, and material remains. The former pharmacy has walls adorned with wall paintings from different eras. One such mural is the alchemical one depicting yellow stars on a grey-blue background, which dates back to around 1500. Another fresco from the Baroque era portrays Jesus and the woman with the issue of blood, and is thought to have been painted in the early 18th century.