2024 ISHP Newsletter

100 Years of the “Vilties” Pharmacy in the Heart of Kaunas

On July 8, 2025, the “Vilties” Pharmacy, located at Laisvės Alėja 100 in Kaunas, Lithuania, celebrates its 100th anniversary. Originally opened in 1925 at Laisvės Alėja 80 as the “Central Pharmacy,” it was renamed Pharmacy No. 63 after the Soviet occupation and the nationalization of private property. Since 1980, it has been known as the “Pharmacy of Hope” (Vilties vaistinė).

This pharmacy stands out not only for its longevity but also for the remarkable mural that adorns its walls—a 1983 fresco created by renowned Lithuanian artist Antanas Kmieliauskas.

The fresco depicts an allegorical Goddess of Hope, offering strength, comfort, and trust in the healing power of medicine. Classical healing symbols such as plants, a snake, and a chalice surround her, rendered in a flowing Renaissance-inspired style. Not without reason is Kmieliauskas often called the “Michelangelo of Lithuania.” He is also the artist behind the famous frescoes created for Vilnius University’s 400th anniversary.

How did this distinguished artist, known for his works in churches and universities, come to create a fresco in a pharmacy? In the 1970s–1980s, pharmacy design in Lithuania flourished. Prominent architects competed to design the most beautiful pharmacy interiors, while pharmacy heads took pride in creating the most aesthetically impressive spaces.

Interestingly, Kmieliauskas worked on the fresco only on weekends, traveling from Vilnius and sleeping on a folding bed in the still-under-renovation pharmacy. He was cared for by Arūnas Šiaučiulis, then deputy manager of the pharmacy, now its owner, who fondly recalls the artist’s humility and warmth.

Today, located just steps from Kaunas City Municipality, the “Vilties” Pharmacy stands as a living monument to the city’s rich cultural and pharmaceutical heritage, resilient through political change. ... See MoreSee Less