The House-Museum of Pharmacist Evenius is a museum and creative space that opened on October 3, 2025, in a historic building at 45 Studenaya Street in Nizhny Novgorod, in the quarter of the Church of the Three Hierarchs. The site is devoted to pharmacy and medicinal herbs of the late 19th century and is the only historic space of its kind in the city.[1]

History of the Building and the Pharmacist Evenius

The building at 45 Studenaya Street was erected in the second half of the 19th century and is typical of the residential architecture of Nizhny Novgorod of that period: a stone ground floor, a wooden upper story with a triangular pediment and a dormer window. The exact date of construction and the name of the first owner have not survived to the present day.[2] In 1875 the house was purchased by Nikolay Vasilyevich Evenius, a grandson of Nizhny Novgorod's first apothecary, Georg Evenius, a member of a distinguished dynasty of pharmacists, German by origin and a Lutheran by faith. The choice of neighborhood is explained in part by the fact that many people from the German lands lived here: Slavyanskaya Street, which crosses Studenaya, was called Nemetskaya (German) Street until World War I and ended at a square of the same name, beyond which it continued on to the Lutheran Cemetery.[2] Nikolay Vasilyevich lived in the house until 1884; after a succession of owners, the building became an apartment house and underwent minor remodeling and additions.[2]

The house is distinguished by window casings with elements of blind carving. In the Soviet period it became an apartment building. According to the official website of the Nizhny Novgorod Region government, in 2020, taking into account the position of the city preservation community, the building was recognized as a regional-significance cultural heritage site.[1] The source vgoroden.ru dates the granting of cultural heritage status to 2017, noting that the initiative came from preservation activists.[2]

Restoration and Concept

At the end of 2024, a decision was made to restore the house. The renovation took about ten months and cost approximately 23 million rubles.[2] The goal was to convey the daily life and traditions of the 19th century: specialists preserved about 90% of the building's original elements, using a conservation method. The decorative elements of the facade were restored — carving, wrought-iron grilles, and windows. In the interiors, the ceiling, walls, and parquet floors were recreated in the spirit of the era; in the pharmacist's drawing room, the old stove was preserved, cleaned, coated with varnish, and fitted with a damper dating from the century before last. The utility systems — sewerage, water supply, and heating — were replaced entirely.[3]

The project was carried out by the state-owned enterprise of Nizhny Novgorod Region "Regnedvizhimost," subordinate to the Ministry of Property and Land Relations, together with a private investor, Yana Terekhova. The concept was authored by Olga Naumova, Nikita Gamzyul, and Anna Davydova with the support of the "Tom Sawyer Fest Nizhny Novgorod" team; historians, tour guides, architects, and volunteers took part in the development.[2] The work was coordinated by the Minister of Property and Land Relations of Nizhny Novgorod Region, Sergey Barinov.[2]

Space and Program

A café is located on the first floor; on the second are the restored study, the pharmacy storeroom, and the pharmacist's drawing room.[1] The signature treat is "medicinal fudge." Beside the house is a pharmacist's garden, the only recreated pharmacist's garden in Nizhny Novgorod.[1] A theatrical tour and an audio guide offer about 40 minutes of history about the pharmacist Evenius.[2] The house regularly hosts theatrical performances, dinners with Volga cuisine and a musical program, tea parties, workshops, historical parties, concerts, and evening tours.[1]

In its first year of operation, as of October 2026, the house was visited by more than 15,000 people, and over 300 events were held. The project team works with 10 partners, including Nizhny Novgorod restaurateurs, travel agencies, cruise companies, and universities, among them the Privolzhsky Research Medical University (PRMU).[1]

Recognition

In November 2026, the project "Living History: The Economics of Heritage," presented by the Pharmacist Evenius House-Museum, took first place in the "Best Renovation and Integration Project" category of the federal review-competition "Rebus. Heritage" at the 4th International Forum "Rebus 2026: Urban Planning in Historic Settlements" in Kazan.[4] The house also took second place in the competition's audience vote.[5] The Governor of Nizhny Novgorod Region, Gleb Nikitin, noted that the project demonstrates that commercial efficiency and cultural value can go hand in hand: historic sites receive a second life through business and tourism without placing additional strain on the budget.[4]

Sources

  1. nobl.ru — More than 15,000 people have visited the Evenius Pharmacist House-Museum in Nizhny Novgorod in the year since its opening — Official Website of the Government of Nizhny Novgorod Region
  2. V gorode N — Photo report: the unique Evenius Pharmacist House-Museum opened in Nizhny Novgorod
  3. NewsNN
  4. Vremya N — Nizhny Novgorod's Evenius House became the winner of the "Rebus: Heritage" review competition
  5. kp.ru — Nizhny Novgorod projects took three first places in the federal "Rebus. Heritage" competition
Materials from the following articles were used (1)

Victory of Nizhny Novgorod projects in the "Rebus. Heritage" competition (2026)