Museo de la Farmacia Habanera, Pharmacy museum in Plaza Vieja, Cuba.
The Museo de la Farmacia Habanera is a museum in Plaza Vieja that displays pharmaceutical artifacts, medical instruments, and documents showing how Cuban medicine developed over time. The building contains original 19th-century pharmacy furniture, counters, and display cases.
The museum began as a pharmacy founded in 1853 by Catala Sarra y Cia, which operated as one of the major pharmacies in the Americas. It became a state museum in 2004 following significant restoration.
The museum displays traditional remedies and plants that Cubans used across generations to treat illness and maintain health. These items reveal how local communities understood healing and wellness.
The museum sits in Plaza Vieja within Old Havana and offers guided tours in several languages to help visitors understand the collection. It is best visited during daylight hours when good lighting makes the historical items and displays easier to see.
The building served as an important medical trading hub in Havana and its interior offers a rare glimpse into 19th-century pharmacy life. The preserved original furnishings show how pharmacists of that era interacted with patients and compounded medicines.
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