Spirit Museum

One of the most interesting sights of Cologne is the Museum of Spirits (Farina House).

It was in this building in 1708 that the Italian perfumer Johann Maria Farina founded the oldest perfumery in the world and created his famous EAU de COLOGNE, known as Cologne Water. Farina’s clients ranged from the kings of Prussia and Poland to famous musicians such as Mozart. In the 18th century, patent law had not yet been invented, because Farina had many imitators and the name of the fragrance spread to all such products.

The museum collection is a visual exhibit on the history of perfume art. For example, Farina’s improved distillation machines, which played a key role in the manufacture of perfumes of that time. As well as historical documents, photographs and illustrations of the production process. Today, the eighth generation of the descendants of the perfumer continues the family business in this building near the Cologne Town Hall.