English Guided Tour (other Languages Offered)

Visit: Duftmuseum im Farina-Haus, Obenmarspforten 21, 50667 Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia Germany

The perfumer Johann Maria Farina named the famous fragrance after his chosen place of residence: Eau de Cologne. This founded the success of the Farina perfume dynasty. In the 18th century no patent rights existed and many copycat versions of the perfume quickly appeared on the market. Due to these incidents, the Eau de Cologne is designated today as a perfume category. Art related artifacts, photos, and furniture are evidence of the worldwide connections to the Farina perfume dynasty. You can smell a variety of different essences at the museum. Detailed descriptions from the extraction of essences to the development of perfumes from flowers, for example clearly convey the effort, creativity, and irrefutable talent of this perfumer.

The general guided museums tour (in English) leads you down the stairs and into the original arched cellar where the fragrance has been produced for about 300 years. A barrel made of cedar from the time of the company’s founding has withstood the test of time can also be seen. The replica of a still, just like the one Johann Maria Farina would have used in the 18th century concretely shows the complicated art of distillation. Photos show the development of perfume production over the last 300 years.