Fragrance Museum, Perfumery museum in Altstadt-Nord, Germany
The Farina Fragrance Museum occupies the original 18th-century production rooms of the Farina house at Obenmarspforten, across from Cologne City Hall and near the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum. Over several floors it displays distillation apparatus, documents, pictures, and examples of historical Eau de Cologne forgeries.
Johann Maria Farina founded the world's oldest perfume factory in this building in 1709 and developed the original Eau de Cologne here. Production continued for centuries in these same rooms that are now open to visitors.
The museum occupies the house where Johann Maria Farina created Eau de Cologne in the early 18th century, and the scent took his name from the city itself. Visitors see original 18th-century production rooms and displays of early imitations and forgeries made before legal trademark protection existed. The boutique sells authentic Farina Eau de Cologne.
Access is only possible with pre-booked guided tours, so it's best to arrange your visit in advance. The building is centrally located near the cathedral, making it easy to combine with other sights in the area.
The museum displays numerous imitations and forgeries of Eau de Cologne that appeared on the market because copyright did not exist in the 18th century. These exhibits show how quickly the fragrance was copied. On 25 November 2006, the Farina House was named a "place to be" in the "Germany Land to be" project.
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