Fragrance Museum in the Farina House
Birthplace of Eau de Cologne: the Farina House of 1709, the oldest perfume factory in the world still in operation.
since 1709
The Fragrance Museum is housed in the Farina House — the birthplace of Eau de Cologne — in its original 18th-century production rooms.
At a Glance
- Type
- Historical museum dedicated to Eau de Cologne
- Location
- Obenmarspforten 21, Altstadt-Nord, city district Innenstadt
- Surroundings
- opposite the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum, within sight of City Hall
- Founded
- Perfume factory 1709, at this location since 1723
- Visits
- Guided tours only
- Atelier
- Create your own Eau de Cologne under expert guidance
The Johann Maria Farina perfume factory is considered the oldest still-operating perfume factory in the world – and it continues to be run by the Farina family to this day, following a secret recipe passed down unchanged since 1709.
Things to do here
- Join a guided tour through the original 18th-century production rooms
- Marvel at the historic distillation equipment used to make the fragrance
- Trace the story of the very first Eau de Cologne
- Create your own Eau de Cologne in the atelier and take it home in a bottle
- Discover documents and images about royal deliveries and curious counterfeits
Age comparison
Age compared with other places in Cologne.
History
The Johann Maria Farina perfume factory opposite Jülichs-Platz is the oldest perfume factory in the world still in operation. Johann Maria Farina (1685–1766) created the original Eau de Cologne here in 1709. To this day, the Farina family — the world's oldest perfumer dynasty — produces the fragrance according to a secret recipe. To mark the 240th anniversary of Johann Maria Farina's death, the house was honoured on 25 November 2006 as a 'Selected Place' in the 'Germany — Land of Ideas' initiative.
What to See
Spread across several floors, the exhibition shows how Eau de Cologne was made from its very earliest days, complete with the original equipment. This includes the stills that Farina employed early on for large-scale fragrance production. Documents and illustrations trace both the manufacturing process and the countless imitations the product had to contend with before trademark protection was legally established. The tour ranges thematically from royal court deliveries to outright counterfeits, with further exhibits exploring the evolution of production and marketing in glass vessels.
Atelier
In the Farina Atelier, guests create their own Eau de Cologne under expert guidance. The personally blended fragrance is then taken home in a 50 ml bottle.
Timeline
- 1709Johann Maria Farina founds the world's oldest still-existing perfume factory
- 1723Perfume factory moves to Obenmarspforten
- 2006-11-25Farina House awarded as 'Selected Place' in the 'Germany – Land of Ideas' project
Map
Blue dots: other places nearby — tap to explore.
Address
Obenmarspforten 21
50667 Köln
Hours
Mo: 10:00–19:00
Di: 10:00–19:00
Mi: 10:00–19:00
Do: 10:00–19:00
Fr: 10:00–19:00
Sa: 10:00–19:00
So: 11:00–17:00
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Sources & links
- Official website
- Wikidata (retrieved 2026-06-23)
- Wikipedia (retrieved 2026-06-23, rev 265777923)
Auto-generated, last verified: 2026-06-26
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