12. The Black Bear Pharmacy

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In 1885, Eduard Hackl had his house with a pharmacy undergo a radical renovation according to the design of Carl Seidl. The richly decorated Neo-Renaissance building was brought to life by Franz Klein, who was from Šumperk. The front dons a decorative relief with an animal motif, which gave the building its name.

The entrance to the residential part of the house is located on the street that for many years bore the name of Dr. August Hager, a prominent medical figure in Šumperk. Hager was brought from Vienna by his friend Dr. Chiari to take up the position of town doctor. In 1896, Dr. Hager became the head of the first modern hospital in town. He was loved by the citizens of Šumperk for his medical acumen, as well as his sense of humour and charitable work. Dr. Hager charged his services depending on the patient’s affluence. He also set up a ”Pork fund”, collecting contributions from wealthy clients to provide his poorer clients with meat and cake for Christmas. It was rumoured at the time that the length of patients’ torment during medical procedures was proportionately dependent on the amount of contribution to this fund.