“Cultural Route of the Council of Europe” certified in 2024

The European Route of Historical Pharmacies and Medicinal Gardens recounts the development of botanical and pharmaceutical medicine in Europe through sites that played a crucial role in the history of medical knowledge. Medicinal gardens were places where herbalists cultivated and studied plants with healing properties. Treasures of biodiversity, these gardens continue to preserve ancestral knowledge. Historical pharmacies, with their collections of antique bottles, recipe books and medical instruments, reflect the evolution of pharmaceutical science. Combining cultural and natural heritage, this route invites visitors to explore exceptional botanical landscapes while delving into the history of medicine. It promotes a historical heritage that is a source of memory, cultural identity and sustainable human development.

Heritage

Since the 15th century, historical pharmacies and medicinal gardens have been found in monasteries, convents, hospitals, towns, and communities across Europe. This route is a journey between religious and secular environments, reminding the traveller that the history of  “materia medica” (a concept that encompasses the heritage and memory associated with the tradition of pharmacopeia) is inextricably linked with that of humanity. It guides visitors in the footsteps of this cultural heritage, both tangible and intangible, which dates back to the ancient cultures of the Mediterranean and the Middle East, and which persists to this day throughout Europe in our contemporary practices.

Travelling today

This route allows visitors to discover the history of pharmacy in Europe by exploring medico-pharmacological knowledge and traditional practices related to medicinal plants, which are an integral part of our heritage and remain essential to the health of Europeans. Visitors can enjoy immersive experiences, both on-site and virtually, in medicinal gardens and historic pharmacies and access often inaccessible places. This route covers the whole continent, incorporating specific and significant sites from various countries, creating a common thread that evokes our shared roots.