I recommend perfume lovers to visit the Perfume Museum, which is located in the House of Farina, where the creator of Eau de Cologne (cologne) and the founder of the perfume factory Johann-Maria Farina lived.
Perfume Museum in the Farin House - the past and present of Cologne Water
The birth of cologne
Three centuries ago, Giovanni Farina founded the first perfume factory in Cologne. The Italian perfumer created an original light composition that replaced the heavy aromas that reigned at that time. He gathered together the smells of his native Venice: notes of mountain daffodils and flowers of grapefruit, oranges and bergamot, garden roses.
So the German city of Cologne became the birthplace of cologne. The world famous name "Eau De Cologne" was later introduced by the French, and the Germans simply called the new perfumery - Kölnisch Wasser ("Cologne Water").
What you will see in the Museum of Spirits
The Museum of the Spirits (Duftmuseum im Farina-Haus) has been opened today in the Farina factory building on Obenmarsportfort street. Bright red marquises, covering the windows of the first floor, are decorated with a symbolic tulip - the emblem of the family company Farina.
A visit to the museum is possible only as part of the tour, it lasts 45 minutes. Guides in costumes of the Rococo era accompany guests. In the museum you can see all kinds of bottles and packaging, technological equipment, paintings and photos illustrating the stages of development of production. Three centuries of evolution of perfumery art, from the Rococo era to our time, are presented in the collections of the Museum of Spirits.
A collection of objects of art, furniture, jewelry, portraits is exhibited in the mezzanine. Here, guests are told the story of the Farin Dynasty. Eight generations of descendants of the Venetian Giovanni produce branded perfumes. Eau de Cologne is a protected brand, its composition is still secret.
Visitors go down the stairs to the basement of the building: there are original 18th century barrels made of cedar wood. It was here that Giovanni Farina created his iconic fragrance.
The key exhibit is the list of eminent clients of the Farin House since 1709. Shortly after the debut, Eau De Cologne became the "smell of the century." All the nobility of Europe used the "Cologne water"; it was bought even for the royal courts of the Old World. Goethe, Mozart, Voltaire highly valued perfumes from Farin.
The museum stands opposite the city hall. On the Kölner Rathaus building, among the statues of prominent citizens of Cologne, is a sculptural portrait of Giovanni Maria Farina.
Museum Hours
Mon-Sat 10: 00-19: 00;
Sun 11: 00-17: 00.
Ticket price 5 euros.
