Farina gegenüber

Farina gegenüber (literally "Farina opposite") is the short form of "Johann Maria Farina gegenüber dem Jülichs-Platz" (German for "Johann Maria Farina opposite the Jülichs Square"), the world's oldest Eau-de-Cologne-Factory in Cologne, established in 1709. The company's logo is a red tulip.

This perfume factory is recognized as the oldest in the world and is run by the descendants of the original owner, Johann Maria Farina. The company has held Royal Warrants as purveyors of perfume to both the French and British Royal Family.

Company headquarters and birthplace of Eau-de-Cologne are both to be found in the Farina House (in German Farina-Haus), which also accommodates the fragrance museum.

Aqua mirabilis

Long before he joined his brother to found in 1714 „Farina & Compagnie“ John Maria Farina conceived a particular Aqua mirabilis. This term derives from Latin and means „admirable water“. Aqua mirabilis would in those days have referred to specific types of fragrances obtained by distillation, and they were moreover thought to work miracles. Farina’s aqua mirabilis was however an extraordinarily new invention. Indeed, the Italian perfume maker gave birth to a whole new type of complex fragrance which associated several essences to pure alcohol, an innovative mixture. The very idea of bringing together these ingredients was an Italian discovery which was introduced to the rest of Europe thanks to Farina.

Furthermore, the fragrance was a particular breakthrough because of it’s delightful freshness which contrasted to most of the known heavy scents of the time such as cinnamon oil, sandalwood oil or musk. In 1708, John Maria Farina wrote a letter to his brother John Baptist Farina in which he describes his perfum as following:

“I have created a perfume which is reminiscent of a spring morning following a soft shower where fragrances of wild narcissi combine to that of sweet orange flowers. This perfume refreshes me and stimulates both my senses and imagination..” [citaton traduite d’après Eckstein, "Eau de Cologne", S. 8.]

Eau de Cologne takes over the European market

To begin with, Farina limited the sale of his perfume to Cologne and Frankfurt’s trade centre. The first delivery dates back to 1716 when Farina sent 12 bottles to a Madame Billy in Aachen. [Mönckmeier, "Die Geschichte des Hauses Johann Maria Farina", S. 58.] From 1730 on, Farina’s list of customers expanded at great pace and according to records, 3700 bottles were delivered to a total of 39 addresses between 1730 and 1739. His perfume which delighted the upper nobility soon became a royal and imperial favourite.

By 1740, Eau de Cologne was a thriving success and sold in Rouen, Paris, Strasburg, Magdeburg, Trier, Wesel, Kleve, Lyon ,Vienna, Amsterdam, La Haye, Liège, Lille, Aachen, Düsseldorf, Bonn, Braunschweig, Frankfurt, Leipzig, Augsburg, Stuttgart, Bamberg, Mayence , Koblenz.

In a letter dated 9th April 1747, Farina explains that his perfume is knows Europe-wide. [Hier zitiert nach Mönckmeier, "Die Geschichte des Hauses Johann Maria Farina", S. 62.]

Famous customers

1734 Frederick William I of Prussia

1736 Clemens August I

1738 Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor

1740 Maria Theresa of Austria

1745 Louis XV of France; Frederick II of Prussia (Frederick the great); Voltaire

1758 Ferdinand VI of Spain

1782 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

1791 Stanisław August Poniatowski

1797 Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

1800 Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden

1802 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

1804 Napoleon Bonaparte

1806 Anton Viktor of Austria

1807 Ludwig van Beethoven

1809 Maria Carolina of Austria

1810 Pauline, Princesse Borghese, Letizia Buonaparte, Jérôme roi de Westfalie

1811 Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma; [Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor] ; Prince Hermann de Pückler-Muskau

1815 Alexander I of Russia; Alexander von Humboldt; Prince Klemens Wenzel von Metternich

1814 Friedrich Schiller

1822 Pedro I of Brazil

1824 Heinrich Heine

1830 William IV of the United Kingdom

1837 Victoria of the United Kingdom

1841 Frederick William IV of Prussia

1843 Nicholas I of Russia, Paul Alexander Leopold Prince of Lippe

1845 Heinrich duke of Anhalt

1846 Ernest Augustus I of Hanover, Adolph Duke of Nassau

1847 Christian VIII of Denmark

1848 Erich Freund, duke of Saxe-Meiningen

1850 Frederick Augustus II of Saxony; Frederick VII of Denmark

1855 Alexander II of Russia; John of Saxony

1859 Georg Friedrich Karl grand duke of Mecklenburg Strelitz

1861 Wilhelm I, German Emperor

1862 Friedrich Wilhelm grand-duke of Mecklenburg Strelitz

1863 Albert Eduard Prince of Wales

1866 Luís I of Portugal, Louis III.grand-duke of Hessen

1868 Napoleon III; Charles I of Württemberg; Benjamin Disraeli

1870 Alexandra of Denmark

1871 Wilhelm I, German Emperor

1872 Ludwig II of Bavaria

1872 Franz Joseph I of Austria; Elisabeth of Bavaria (Sissi)

1873 Leopold III of Belgium; Albert of Saxony

1874 Oscar II of Sweden, Victoria the crown princess of Prussia

1876 Victor Emmanuel II of Italy

1877 Christian IX of Denmark; Mark Twain

1878 Umberto I of Italy

1879 Ludwig IV grand-duke of Hesse

1880 William III of the Netherlands

1881 Carol I of Romania

1882 Friedrich Franz II.grand-duke of Mecklenburg Schwerin

1888 Frederick III, German Emperor; Wilhelm II, German Emperor; Mori Ōgai

1889 Oscar Wilde

1894 Otto of Bavaria

1901 Edward VII of the United Kingdom

1910 George V of the United Kingdom

1921 Thomas Mann

1925 Franz Lehár

1927 Gustaf V of Sweden

1928 Konrad Adenauer

1935 Marlene Dietrich

1939 Heinz Rühmann

1951 Soraya Esfandiary

1959 Indira Gandhi; Romy Schneider

1964 Françoise Sagan

1970 Hildegard Knef

1987 Princesse de Gales

Literature

Sources
The Farina archives are actually being held in the rhenish westphalian economic archives Rheinisch-Westfälisches Wirtschaftsarchiv|Rheinisch-Westfälischen Wirtschaftsarchiv, in section 33. Several documents have been digitised and are available in Wikimedia Commons and in Wikisource. "", Gebrauchszettel aus dem Jahr 1811. ( = Instruction leaflet dating back to 1811.)
* Delivery of Eau de Cologne to the French Empress Marie-Louise:
** ""
** ""
* Ingrid Haslinger. "Kunde – Kaiser. Die Geschichte der ehemaligen k. u. k. Hoflieferanten". Schroll, Wien (1996). ISBN 3-85202-129-4
* Florian Langenscheidt Herrausgeber: Deutsches Marken Lexikon, Seite 396-397, Deutsche Standards, Köln 2008. ISBN 978-3-8349-0629-8

Literature related to the compagnie
* Dr. Hermann Schaefer: "Geschichte, Markenschutz, Nachahmer, Rechtsprechung. Aus dem Archiv des Originalhauses Johann Maria Farina gegenüber dem Jülichs-Platz gegr. 1709", [Köln] 1929.
* Dr. Wilhelm Mönckmeier: "Die Geschichte des Hauses Johann Maria Farina gegenüber dem Jülichsplatz in Köln gegründet 1709", überarbeitet von Hermann Schaefer, Berlin 1934 (Detailreiche Darstellung der Unternehmensgeschichte von ihren Anfängen bis ins Jahr 1914 sowie einem kursorischen Überblick über die Zeit zwischen 1914 und 1933).
* Markus Eckstein: "Eau de Cologne: Auf den Spuren des berühmten Duftes", Köln 2006, ISBN 3-7616-2027-6.
* Dr. Verena Pleitgen: Die Entwicklung des betriebswirtschaftlichen Rechnungswesens von 1890 bis 1940 bei Farina, http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/volltexte/2005/1583/
* Prof. Dr. Marita Krauss: Die Königlich Bayerischen Hoflieferanten Wo der König Kunde war, München 2008, ISBN 978-3-937200-27-9
* Dr. Astrid Küntzel: Fremde in Köln Integration und Ausgrenzung zwischen 1750 und 1814, Köln 2008, ISBN 978-3-412-20072-5
* Prof. R. Amelunxen: Das Kölner Ereignis, Ruhrländische Verlagsgesellschaft, Essen (1952)
* Dr.Bernd Ernsting u. Dr.Ulrich Krings: Der Ratsturm, S.506 + 507 ff, J.P.Bachem Verlag, Köln (1996)
* Rheinisch-westfälische Wirtschaftsbiographien 1953, Abschnitt 7, Seite 161-198
* Jürgen Wilhelm (Hrsg.): "Das große Köln-Lexikon". Greven Verlag, Köln 2005, ISBN 3-7743-0355-X
* Prof.Dr. Klara van Eyll:Die Geschichte d.unternehmer.Selbstverw.in Köln 1797-1914, Seiten 163,234,235, RWWA zu Köln
* Robert Steimel: Kölner Köpfe , Steimel Verlag Köln 1958

Technical literature
* Giovanni Fenaroli, L. Maggesi: [Acqua di Colonia] . In: Rivista italiana essenze, profumi, piante offizinali, olii vegetali, saponi, Jg. 42 (1960)
* Francesco La Face: Le materie prime per l'acqua di colonia. À: Relazione al Congresso di Sta. Maria Maggiore 1960.
* Sébastien Sabetay: Les Eaux de Cologne Parfumée. Sta. Maria Maggiore Symposium 1960.
* Frederick V. Wells: Variations on the Eau de Cologne Theme. Sta. Maria Maggiore Symposium 1960.
* Frederick V. Wells, Marcel Billot: Perfumery Technology. Art, science, industry. Horwood Books, Chichester 1981, ISBN 085312-301-2, S. 25, S. 278

Publications related to Farina
* Gildemeister, E.; Hoffmann, Fr, Die aetherischen Oele. Mit vier Karten und zahlreichen Abbildungen, 1.Aufl. Berlin, Julius Springer, 1899
* Ludger Kremer and Elke Ronneberger-Sibold (Herausgeber): Names in Commerce and Industry: Past and Present ; darin enthalten Pd. Dr. Christian Weyers: Brand name, Herkunftsangabe und Freizeichen im Grenzbereich zwischen Proprium und Appellativum, Seite 45-60, Logos Verlag Berlin 2008, ISBN 978-3832517885

Fiction
* Balzac: Histoire de la Grandeur et de la Décadence de César Birotteau, Marchand Parfumeur, Adjoint au Maire du deuxième Arrondissement de Paris, Chevalier de la Légion-d'honneur, etc., Paris, novembre 1837
* George Meredith: Farina, Chapman an Hall Ld., London 1894

Gallery

Link

[http://www.farinagegenueber.de/ Farina gegenüber website]