There is a pharmacy in Uralsk that has been operating for almost 200 years and remains a popular destination for visitors. Curious about how the pharmacy has managed to stay afloat for so long, Kursiv LifeStyle prepared a short report about the building that reflects the history of the city in every corner.
Uralsk has long been a meeting point where Europe and Asia intersect. This is why many of its old buildings still preserve traces of history. One such monument, made of brick and mortar, is the oldest pharmacy in Kazakhstan that opened in the 19th century and is still operating today.
The history of the building began in 1821, before it was even constructed. At the time, a large fire broke out in Uralsk, and most of the wooden houses burned down. After that tragedy, two-story stone buildings appeared on the main street. One of them was chosen to host the first pharmacy in the city, Uralskaya Volnaya Apteka. It was founded by the Swiss pharmacist Franz Miller, who had worked in Moscow, Saratov and Kazan before coming to Uralsk, where he obtained permission from the local authorities to open a pharmacy. Miller was provided with the premises, an interest-free loan for four years and a 20-year monopoly on medicine sales in the city. The pharmacy began operating at the end of 1836 and immediately became a local legend.
In 1868, Miller invited another pharmacist, A. Strauss, who opened the second city pharmacy in a new two-story brick building on Bolshaya Mikhailovskaya Street (now Nursultan Nazarbayev Avenue).
This pharmacy, later known as Pharmacy No. 1, has survived to this day and is located on the first floor of the building. The second floor initially housed the Strauss family’s apartment and living quarters. Later, in 1919, the Yaitsk Regional Department of State Control was located there. In 1944, Children’s Music School No. 3 opened on that floor. From 1944 to 1949, the building also housed a music college, where the prominent Soviet artist Roza Dzhamanova studied for a while.
The building, with Gothic elements, a basement and high ceilings, is now under state protection as a historical and architectural monument.
