Johan Seeg Pharmacy-Museum, Boryslav

A pharmacy-museum of Johannes Seeg, the world-famous inventor of the oil industry, has opened in the Boryslav City Park of Culture and Recreation. The project to establish the Johannes Seeg Pharmacy Museum, worth more than UAH 1.5 million, won a grant at a competition for local Carpathian community initiatives held by the Association of Local Governments "Euroregion Carpathians-Ukraine".

The project was implemented in 2 stages: in 2019, the land was sanitized and landscaped, construction work was carried out, and in 2020, the pharmacy-museum was filled with museum exhibits.

In Boryslav, they say "it all started with oil," but many Ukrainians do not know enough about the rich oil production history of this city. The Johan Seeg Pharmacy-Museum is now a new tourist magnet that will reveal the historical and cultural features of the region. This location is sure to become one of the favorites for tourists exploring Boryslav.

It is in Boryslav that you can study and explore the history of oil and ozokerite production as a new travel destination, "geotourism," which is chosen by active travelers and students. In fact, Boryslav has been included in the Geo-Carpathian cross-border tourist route. The newly created museum has recreated an oil distillation device from the time of Johannes Zeg. Near the premises of the pharmacy-museum, the oil era is reminiscent of the working oil swinging machines with figures of Johannes Zeg and Robert Doms.

As part of cross-border cooperation, Boryslav has already implemented the projects "The Oil Cradle of Europe: The Forgotten History of Poland and Ukraine" and "The Oil Heritage of Ignacy Lukasiewicz's Activities."

Johan (Jan) Zeg, Master of Pharmacy, a well-known researcher of Boryslav oil, was one of the founders of the technology of its refining (separation) into fractions. In 1853, he developed a scheme and a plant for processing "black gold," which not only laid the foundation for the oil and ozokerite industries, but also became a powerful factor in the economic development of Galicia and the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. Oil, ozokerite, and their derivative products brought Boryslav world fame thanks to Johannes Seeg's developments.

In 1876, Johann Seeg lived in Boryslav and opened his pharmacy on Panska Street (now Shevchenka Street, 12). He lived here until the last days of his life, being the permanent owner of the pharmacy "Zirka". He never became a millionaire, but his invention became "a star that radiated light to millions." On January 25, 1897, after a short illness, Johann Zegh died. He was buried in Boryslav (the former cemetery on Volianka, at the corner of the modern streets of Volodymyr Velykyi and Heroiv OUN-UPA). Unfortunately, neither his grave nor the pharmacy building have survived - in Soviet times, everything was simply razed to the ground.

Locations that also deserve tourist attention: the Museum of Oil and Gas Industry and Oil Production Skansen, the building of the Institute of Geology of the Carpathians, Robert Doms' office, the Krutohir and Bukovytsia ski resorts, the Museum of History and Local Lore (former office building of the David Fanto Oil Company), and the historic building of the Polish Gymnasium (school building number 3).

Selfie location with a copy of the oil tower near the city council, art installation "entrance to the Franz Josef mine" and the Petrovych oil swing machine, stained glass windows by Petro Kholodnyi in the Church of the Assumption of the Holy Virgin, the premises and stained glass windows of the city's main post office from 1931, the Palace of Culture (the building of the former Halukh Palace), Ivan Franko Square and the "open-air history" location, mineral springs #4.5 (Boryslavska Naftusia), St. Barbara's Church with the lapidarium where Johannes Seeg is buried.