Farina Fragrance Museum

Birthplace of Eau de Cologne, museum in the original 18th-century perfume house

The Farina Fragrance Museum occupies the original house of Johann Maria Farina, who invented Eau de Cologne here in 1709. It is the world's oldest fragrance company still operating from its original location, and the guided tour (in German and English) tells the story of the fragrance, the house, and its extraordinary commercial spread across Europe. Napoleon was a devoted customer; the bottles that went to his campaigns are on display.

The museum is small but unique. The scent of the original Eau de Cologne hangs in the rooms, and the collection of historical bottles, documents, and delivery records is impressively detailed for a product that has been made on the same street for over three centuries. Tours run on the hour and are worth booking in advance in summer.

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A story
Johann Maria Farina arrived in Cologne from Italy in 1709 and began producing a new fragrance he named "Eau de Cologne" after his adopted city. He described it in a letter as smelling of "a fresh morning in spring after the rain — oranges, lemons, grapefruit, bergamot, cedrat and flowers." Napoleon ordered 60 bottles a month while on campaign. The company has passed through eight generations of the Farina family and is the oldest fragrance company in the world still in continuous operation.