Cardadeu Tomàs Balvey Museum-Archive

The Cardadeu Tomàs Balvey Museum-Archive (Catalan: Museu-Arxiu Tomàs Balvey), in Cardedeu, Vallès Oriental, is organised around the legacy of Tomàs Balvey i Bas (1865–1954), the last of a line of apothecaries in Cardedeu. The theme of the museum is based on the pharmacy and its pharmacist, focusing on the world of illness, remedies and health. The Museum-Archive is part of the Barcelona Provincial Council Local Museum Network and of the Catalan Pharmacy Museum Network.

Original furniture of the old Balvey pharmacy

Exhibition

The most iconic element of the Museum-Archive is the old Balvey pharmacy itself, with the original furniture from 1812; more than 200 Empire style pharmacy jars which still hold the original contents; and the shop instruments: Flasks, stills, mortars, etc. In addition to the exhibition, there is a botanical garden with regional vegetation and medicinal herbs that would typically be found in a pharmacist’s garden.^[1] The museum collection also includes ethnological, archaeological and decorative materials, as well as a collection of 10th–14th century parchments and documents related to the history of Cardedeu.