Farina Fragrance Museum presents: Eau de Cologne

Perfume from the cathedral city

We emphasize or refine our own body odor with a wonderful scented water to smell even better. It used to be the same, albeit in a slightly different form. Back in the 18th century, people didn't wash themselves as regularly as they do today and then needed a perfume to "hide" the bad body odor. It may be that this is still the case for some people today... And why didn't people wash themselves back then? Well, there was no tap water yet and the water from the 18th century was just as germ-free as it is today. People didn't want to get sick and that's why they often avoided drinking water that hadn't been boiled. Apparently, even Napolean was addicted to cologne and always had a spare bottle in his boot in case it was necessary to apply some fresh scent.

Visit to the Farina Fragrance Museum

So now it starts with an inexpensive tour of the Cologne Fragrance Museum. But first of all, the secret mixture of the Cologne scented water... it consists of:

1. blossoms
2. fruits
3. herbs
4. and many little secrets

And now let's get started with the history and the actors of the museum!

Johann Maria Farina

He is considered the inventor of the Cologne fragrance (Aqua mirabilis) and was born in Santa Maggiore in December 1685. The enthusiasm and experience of creating such a famous fragrance was something he was born with. Because the young Giovanni Maria Farina was born into an Italian family of aromatizers. Of course, you then develop a certain ambition and perhaps want to develop a very well-known scent in order to perhaps impress your grandma and parents. And so it was Grandma who taught the young man everything important and trained his sense of smell. She also gave him the necessary specialist knowledge for making perfume. He then knew that, for example:

1. individual ingredients
2. the season of harvest
3. the climate
4. and also the location

were or are important components in the production of perfume. Very early on, the young man moved to Cologne, the location where trade was flourishing at that time. With the name Johann Maria Farina he ultimately moved into the rooms opposite the Jülich Platz. Today's Fragrance Museum was actually the factory back then and it was there that the world-famous Eau de Cologne was developed and manufactured. By the way, a grave of the Farina family can be found in the Melatenfriedhof

History

The family tree of the family that still actively produces and sells perfume hangs on the "Bel Etage". Today it is only offered in a few local stores and sold online. Unfortunately, it wasn't that easy in the past and that's why a lot of advertising had to be done for it back then. For example, the factory's advertising travelers traveled to major courts around the world. There the Cologne scented water was then presented to the rich nobles and of course sprayed. This fragrance enchanted people with its light blend and freshness and was ultimately sold to many royal families. These included, among others, houses from:

• Switzerland
• Great britain
• Poland
• Spain
• Danmark

To name just a few here. Famous fans of modern times include: Princess Diana, Marlene or Bill Clinton and wife.

Well-heeled future buyers were regularly invited to the Farina House and literally "cooked". The elegant ambience and the good hospitality quickly ensured a sales success!

Accurate accounting

At the bottom of the basement of the building there is still the large wooden table on which the master laid out his large order book. Sales and purchases were entered there by hand and with the greatest attention. You can call it perfect accounting and the tax office would be happy about it today.

Brand was already important back then

Even today you can still admire the old bottles from the production back then in various display cases. These bottles were labeled at the factory and decorated with a red tulip. Because very early on, many competitors wanted something from the Farina company's success. Many companies used the name Farina to sell an imitation or similar scent. One of the best-known similar scents is 4711 from Mäurer und Wirtz GmbH. This even resulted in a significant legal dispute with the Farina company because the name was simply used. It even went so far that the company Mäurer und Wirtz GmbH "imported" managing directors with the name Farina several times just to be allowed to continue using the name. But ultimately the name had to be given up because the legal battle was lost.

Fine nose

The so-called essence room can also still be found in the museum today. A wide variety of scents were created and developed there. From the master himself, of course! He even had a nickname “the father of modern fragrances”. Even today you can test your fine nose in the museum and guess the countless types of flowers. A funny thing! The museum also has a room full of equipment and things that the master himself used back then. It goes without saying that this building is a listed building.

Shopping in the museum shop

Of course, you still want to sell something today. No wonder given this history. Of course, there are still a lot of perfumes to buy and interesting books in the museum shop. It's best to take a look around there yourself. The museum is definitely worth a visit, especially and perhaps especially if there are women there. As we all know, they particularly like beautiful scents! The museum is located in the Old Town North. You can find the address below.

Address and contact details

Obenmarspforten 21, 50667 Cologne
farina.org
0221 3998994

Also interesting: The Melatenfriedhof in Cologne

Accommodation in downtown Cologne!

Do you want to walk to the cathedral? Do you want to walk to the trade fair? Then book our Holiday apartment Cologne, then you can easily reach Cologne Cathedral on foot! Simply cross the Rhine over the Deutzer Bridge and stroll through the old town. In about 14 minutes you will have reached the cathedral! We look forward to your inquiry!