Saint Petersburg is shrouded in mysteries and mysticism. The city on the Neva River is famous for its myths and legends. There are buildings in the Northern capital with unique histories, rich in secrets of various kinds. Among them is Doctor Pel's Pharmacy — located on Vasilievsky Island, at 7th Line, house numbers 16-18. It is one of the oldest pharmaceutical establishments in Petersburg, founded in the mid-19th century. But the history of the building goes deep, back to the Petrine era.

Doctor Pel's Pharmacy is situated in the historic center of Vasilievsky Island. The pharmacy building is over 300 years old. Since 1710 and continuing to the present day, an active pharmacy has been housed there. Not only in this building but throughout the island there was a pharmacist quarter, where at one time anyone interested dabbled in alchemy. Originally, the building housed a pharmacy shop that frequently changed owners until it came into Pel's possession. The history of Pel's Pharmacy began in 1858 when Wilhelm Pel combined houses No. 16 and 18 on the 7th Line of Vasilievsky Island and opened his pharmacy in one premises. Wilhelm Pel was among the first graduates of the Medical-Surgical Academy. Then he studied in Hesse. Upon returning to Saint Petersburg, he opened his pharmacy with a medical laboratory. After Wilhelm Pel passed away, the pharmacy business was inherited by his son Vasily, who in turn passed the family business to his son Alexander. During this time, the pharmacy reached its peak development.

Alexander Vasilyevich Pel — pharmacist, master of pharmacy, publisher, doctor of philosophy and chemistry, educator, author of numerous scientific works in Russian, German, and French, published in Russian and foreign journals. He significantly expanded the laboratory, began using tablets and granules with dosed medicinal substances. A truly outstanding figure: he fought against counterfeit medicines and products, introduced a quality control system for medical drugs, drinking water, and food products. He worked on issues of aseptics and antiseptics. Among other achievements, the aseptic method was first applied in drug production, the problem of dosing and storing injectable solutions was solved, methods for purifying drinking water were developed, and studies of bacteriological air contamination were conducted. Alexander Vasilyevich fought against the falsification of medicines and food products. One of his most important inventions was the ampoule for dosing and storing sterile liquids used for injections. The ampoules were very expensive, and Alexander Pel continued working on making his invention more affordable. He developed the drug "Pel's Spermin" to increase male potency, which promised to restore youth and physical strength. Incidentally, this was the only drug at the time exported from Russia abroad. The main components of this drug were extracts of spermatic fluid from sperm whales and piglets. However, persistent rumors claimed that some magical ingredients were included. "Pel's Spermin" could have become the Russian prototype of Viagra, but the medicine did not catch on, the recipe was lost, though many other of the doctor's medicines are still in use today. Alexander Pel was a master of pharmacology who wrote over 200 works in Russian, German, French, and English on hygiene, forensic, physiological, pharmaceutical chemistry, and pharmacognosy. By the way, Pel was a supplier of medicines to the imperial court. He offered the royal family pills with gold coating. Dmitry Ivanovich Mendeleev was often a guest at the Pels'.

Alexander Vasilyevich and his brothers managed to create an entire complex including laboratories, an organotherapeutic institute, pharmaceutical factories, libraries, warehouses, and sales offices. At that time, more than 70 people worked in the pharmacy, and overall, over 200 people were employed at the Pel enterprises.

The Pel Pharmacy building acquired its modern appearance in 1907 when a corner house was added, followed by the 3rd, 4th, and 5th floors, as well as mansard floors. In 1908, the pharmacy's facade was decorated with the imperial coat of arms and the inscription: Pharmacy, Partnership of Professor Doctor Pel and Sons. On the building's facade is the Pel family motto: “Ora et labora,” which means: Pray and work.

After the death of Alexander Vasilyevich Pel, his sons — Alfred, Richard, and Arist-Alexander, who graduated from the Medical-Surgical Academy — continued their father's work. In 1910, the building was rebuilt in Art Nouveau style. In 1914, a charitable hospital was organized in the pharmacy. The pharmacy continued to operate under Soviet rule, receiving a new name in 1918: "Andreyevskaya Pharmacy," and later "97th Communal." In the 1930s, it was known as Lieutenant Schmidt's pharmacy. Today it is called Doctor Pel's Pharmacy.

In 2010, a museum dedicated to pharmacy, medicine, and the Pel dynasty was opened in the pharmacy. The museum preserves a collection of rare pharmaceutical exhibits. The interior is filled with unique furniture pieces from the early 20th century.

Legends associated with the Pel Pharmacy date back to ancient times. According to city legend, the life of anyone who accidentally wandered here or settled changes dramatically for the better: someone gains a name and status, improves their financial situation, or acquires a home. A wish made at the Griffon Tower in Saint Petersburg is sure to come true. It was immediately said that the founder Wilhelm Pel was not just a pharmacist but an alchemist, magician, and Cagliostro. In the 19th century, locals were convinced that alchemy was practiced in the pharmacy's cellars. The legends have solid grounds. Pel indeed successfully practiced alchemy and therefore could create the so-called "Philosopher's Stone," which remains the main goal of all alchemists. Various unusual details inside and outside the building fueled such rumors, for example, a crocodile stuffed animal hanging in the pharmacy, as well as a huge exhaust pipe in the courtyard.

Legend #1

It was said that Pel used alchemy to travel to parallel worlds. Griffons were near him. Statues with lions can be seen all over Saint Petersburg. Griffons, it is said, are the ghosts of these lions. But not everyone can see the griffons. Pel allegedly opened a door for people to the world of flying lions. There were also witnesses who claimed to have seen such ghosts hovering around the pharmacy. At that time, residents of neighboring houses wrote to the police complaining about the griffons, claiming that the noise of their wings at night disturbed their peace and sleep. Later, they also complained about griffon hunters who wanted to see them and disturbed everyone's sleep in the area. Now, the tower can only be viewed from the pharmacy window; you cannot approach it because the courtyard has become private property, and residents of neighboring houses have restricted access due to being tired of endless pilgrimages by tourists and some slightly crazy people. After all, according to legend, the tower grants wishes. It should be noted that the Pels used the tower as a disposal site, burning unused animal parts and even some narcotic waste there, so it is not surprising that neighbors imagined all sorts of evil spirits. There is a documented newspaper publication stating that the police investigated the griffon case. The exhaust pipe located in the pharmacy courtyard was called the Griffon Tower. According to legend, it was in this pipe that pharmacist Wilhelm Pel produced griffons. It was about 2 meters in diameter and 11 meters high. This tower was dismantled during the Siege of Leningrad so that Nazi pilots would not use the pipe as a landmark during artillery shelling. After police intervention, Pel was ordered to make the griffons invisible. He obeyed the authorities and people, but the griffons did not fly away forever. It is said they are still seen; during every full moon, reflections of griffons appear in house windows, and one can hear the muffled noise of their huge flapping wings. According to legend, to see the griffons, one must come to the Tower at night and actively shine flashlights into the windows of neighboring houses.

Legend #2

The Tower has another legend. The Tower is digital. Numbers can be seen at any time. All the bricks of the Tower are numbered with digits from 0 to 9. The numbers are placed in a strict order — one per brick. The digits are connected diagonally. Time travelers use such a system of numbers. With their help, it is easy to determine the coordinates of the world to which one can travel and the time when the passage to this world opens. The passage to other worlds opens precisely at this place. By the way, there is another transition point in Saint Petersburg — the Rotunda at 61 Gorokhovaya Street. There are many parallel worlds, but with the help of the numbers on the bricks, one can travel conveniently and not get lost. Some claimed that the numbers change places. Another legend says that the old pharmacist encrypted the code of the universe in this way, and whoever finds the key to the system of adding the numbers will be granted the path to immortality. Whoever reads all the numbers on the tower will, at the very least, have all their wishes fulfilled.

Sources:

https://peterburg.center/story/tainstvennaya-apteka-pelya-v-peterburge.html

https://www.tourister.ru/world/europe/russia/city/saint_petersburg/museum/33401/responses/5475

https://www.citywalls.ru/house202.html