Dr. Pel's Pharmacy is one of the most famous pharmaceutical shops in St. Petersburg. Although the Pel family acquired the building in the mid-19th century, a pharmacy had existed at this location since the early 18th century.

Pharmacy Quarter

The first pharmacies in Russia began to appear during the reign of Ivan the Terrible, when the Apothecary Order was established, akin to the modern Ministry of Health, along with the Main Pharmacy. However, it was only under Peter the Great that the pharmacy business saw significant development. In 1701, a decree was issued to open eight private pharmacies in Moscow. Pharmacies run by German pharmacists, such as Johann Gottfried Gregorius and others, appeared in the capital. Peter I provided pharmacists with favorable conditions: free premises and the right to inherit the pharmacy, as well as exemption from many taxes.

The first pharmacy in St. Petersburg was opened in the Menshikov Bastion of the Peter and Paul Fortress, where a military garrison was located. The first pharmacist on Vasilievsky Island was a certain Arik, who initially owned a shop on Bolshaya Meshchanskaya Street and then moved it to the 7th Line. The Academic and Dneprovskiy Lanes were from the very beginning a place of work for pharmacists, hence this area was called the Pharmacy Quarter.

The stone building in the area of house No. 16 was constructed in the 1720s-1730s. It initially belonged to a chamberlain, then to pharmacist Glentser and merchant Soluyanov. In the mid-19th century, the building was acquired by pharmacist Wilhelm Pel. Ten years later, he bought the neighboring plot and moved his pharmacy there, which was initially called the Andreevskaya Pharmacy. This name remained until 1908, after which the pharmacy was renamed "Dr. Pel's Pharmacy," but only for a short time, until the arrival of Soviet power.

What Were Pharmacies Like?

Pharmacists of that time prepared medicines from herbs such as chamomile, nettle, plantain, and other products, including grains, oils, and honey. All of this was ground in stone mortars. Bay leaves and essential oils imported from other countries were particularly valued. On the Petrograd side, apothecary gardens were organized for growing medicinal plants. Raw materials were stored in warehouses near the pharmacies. Tablets were a mixture of crushed herbs with starch or oil, cut into small sticks. Honey and fish oil, which were very popular, could be purchased in the shop. Enemas and poultices were also sold.

Pine extract for treating scurvy was especially valued. Prices for medicines were set at the highest level, and pharmacists could not inflate them, otherwise they risked exile to Siberia.

The History of the Pel Family

Wilhelm Christoph Ehrenfried Pel was an alchemist and pharmacist. He acquired the building in 1848 at the age of thirty. He rented part of the upper floors to a foreign trade bank and tenants. Pel married the daughter of a court jeweler and received a good dowry and inheritance. The Pel family was a supplier to the imperial court and could use their coat of arms on products and the facades of their houses.

Today, a wax figure of the founder can be seen in the pharmacy museum. Pel combined several houses under numbers 16 and 18, opening the pharmacy at 16. He not only sold remedies but also opened the first chemical laboratory in the basement. Under him, tablets became round, and powders began to be made under presses. Pel earned well from the sale of mint tooth powder and gelatin capsules with fish oil. His shops also sold candy dragees. Pel personally checked all pharmaceutical raw materials brought to St. Petersburg.

Pel devised a way to increase sales of medicines: gilding pills. For this, egg powder and gold leaf were used. The golden tablets looked beautiful in a red box and sold out quickly. The cost of one box was 60 rubles, equivalent to the income of a minor official.

Until Wilhelm's death in 1903, the pharmacy business passed to his son Alexander Pel, under whom the business significantly expanded. An organotherapeutic institute, warehouses, laboratories, a printing house, and other enterprises were opened, employing more than two hundred people. Alexander held four doctoral degrees, including a PhD in philosophy and chemistry. He also inherited the production of cardboard and glass for packaging. Pel offered the poor to test medicines for money and often treated them for free.

Alexander Pel produced medicines from animal blood and organs, formic acid, and snake venom. He invented sealing ampoules and means for water filtration. "Pel's Spermine," an analogue of Viagra made from the testicles of kids and piglets, was launched into production.

After Alexander Pel's death in 1908, the business passed to his three sons. The Pel family worked on Vasilievsky Island for 70 years. The family motto, "Pray and Work," taken from an alchemical book, can still be seen on the facade of the house. Under the roof of the building is the noble coat of arms of the family.

After Pel's Death

Between 1907 and 1910, the building acquired its modern appearance. An angular house was added, and floors and an attic were built. The two-story house became five stories tall. The construction was carried out by engineer Niman. The style of the house can be characterized as Art Nouveau. The decoration was done by Vladimir Frolov, who also decorated the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood.

The trading hall inside is decorated with sandy-brown tiles that are over 120 years old. The furniture is made of quality wood, and behind the counter stood a German cash register with a handle, one of the first in Russia.

With the onset of World War I, a hospital was established in the pharmacy. After the revolution, Pel's business was closed, but the pharmacy continued to operate. Alexander's children emigrated to Europe after unsuccessful attempts to settle in the Soviet state. One of them had to work as a loader.

The sign changed to "Andreevskaya Pharmacy," and then to "City Pharmacy No. 13," under which the establishment operated for most of the Soviet period.

Myths and Rumors

Wilhelm Pel was an alchemist, which at that time was considered synonymous with the word "sorcerer." There were rumors that he brewed gold in the basements and raised griffins in a stone pipe, mythical creatures with lion claws and an eagle's head.

The exhaust pipe in the yard began in the basement, where the laboratory was located. It was said that Pel bred winged monsters in flasks, and they flew out through the pipe into freedom. The legend was explained by the fact that the pharmacist quickly became rich, and mythical creatures supposedly knew the secret of wealth. Pel's name was associated with alchemy and the search for gold, and according to legend, griffins had golden wings.

Neighbors allegedly saw flying griffins, and ghosts were so frequent that complaints about the noise of their wings were made to the police. The exhaust pipe was named the "Griffin Tower."

Perhaps the pharmacist simply crossbred animals or engaged in vivisection, and the neighbors mistook bats for griffins. The pipe looked strange, emitted acrid smoke, which frightened the neighbors. On a tour of the pharmacy, a large door from the basement to the pipe-tower will be shown, the purpose of which is unclear.

After the scandal with the neighbors, the griffins allegedly became invisible and could only be seen at night during a full moon, in the yard, as reflections in the windows. Many try to sneak into the pharmacy's yard and shine flashlights on the windows to see the mythical creatures.

The pipe was also called Pel's Tower or the Digital Tower. The upper part was painted with numbers by Pel himself, creating a magical formula. Mystics believe that the digital tunnel was needed for time travel. The legendary Griffin Tower is a portal to another dimension. It is believed to grant wishes if all the numbers on the tower are recited.

During the blockade, the tower was dismantled to the level of the house so that it would not become a target during shelling. People descended into Pel's basement in the bomb shelter, where up to two hundred people could fit.

Today, a museum operates in the building, where visitors can take a tour, see rare exhibits, and learn about the history of Dr. Pel's pharmaceutical business. However, it is not possible to visit the tower, as the residents have closed the entrance to the yard, tired of the nightly visitors searching for griffins. In 1994, artists installed a wooden egg at the base of the tower, but it was quickly stolen.