A collection of archival material relating to the activities of Jan Pipes-Poratyński (1876-1941), a Lviv pharmacist and national activist who came from a well-known family of Jewish pharmacists. He was a son of Jakub Pipes-Poratyński (1846-1904) - pharmacist, economist and president of the Jewish association Agudas Achim (Hebrew: Covenant of Brothers).
Jan Pipes-Poratyński obtained his Master of Pharmacy and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from the Jan Kazimierz University in Lviv. He took over from his father the pharmacy 'Under the sign of Hungarian Crown', which was one of the oldest pharmacies in Lviv and today is one of the city's most important tourist attractions.
He has served as president and has been a member of many associations related to pharmacy and education. He was also an active national activist: he was a member of the Polish National Committee as well as the Civic Committee and the Polish National Committee in Lviv. He was active in e.g., the Polish Mourning Cross of the Lviv district (he was a member of the revision committee of the Polish Society for the Care of Heroes' Graves in Lviv). In the 1934 election, he was elected a councillor of the Lviv City Council. He was a lecturer in pharmaceutical law and the history of pharmacy.
He also carried numerous investments. He invested, among other things, in the development of the Morszyn spa, owned sawmills, set up a cosmetics laboratory, and was the manufacturer of popular creams such as 'Sultanna', 'Eastern Beauty Cream', and 'Celeste'.
The archive was collected by Elżbieta Mazanek, the aunt of the donor, who worked at the pharmacy 'Under the sign of Hungarian Crown'. The memorabilia were kept by her family before being donated to the Museum. | Marta Frączkiewicz
