Hinko Brodjovin: Portrait of Žiga Ključec, oil on canvas, 1935., HMMF-341

Žiga Ključec

Žiga Ključec, pharmacist (Zagreb, 6th December 1865 – Marija Bistrica, 25th December 1937). Completed the fifth grade of high school in 1881 in Varaždin. From 1882 to 1885 he worked as a pharmacy assistant with pharmacist Milan Wacha in Metlika. He passed a tyrocinial exam in Ljubljana and did two years of practice in Freistadt before going to university. He graduated in Pharmacy in 1888 in Zagreb, where he continued to work as a pharmacy assistant in Stjepan Hržić’s pharmacy until 1890 when he received a concession for independant work Fužine. Under his guidance, St. Anthony’s pharmacy, except in Gorski kotar, became famous in Slovenia, especially for the preparations he had made himself. There he worked until 1907, when he bought the city’s pharmacy K crnom orlu in Zagreb. From Mark’s square he moved it to Kamenita street and ran it until 1916. In that year, he moved to the factory of Elsa-preparations, from the pharmacist and entrepreneur E.V. Feller in Donja Stubica, where he participated in the production of pharmaceutical specialties. In 1924 he became a co-owner of te pharmacy Salvatoru in Osijek. In 1926, he bought the pharmacy from Dragutin Rayman in Marija Bistrica which he ran for the rest of his life.

As a prominent pharmacist he participated in the education at the Trainees course of Pharmacy School in Zagreb from 1909 to 1916 and was an examiner in practical pharmacy at the so-called third strict exam of students at the Faculty of humanities (1910 – 15) He was the President of the Croatian-Slavonian national pharmacy association from 1911 to 1916.