Hach 4711, the strong water that we love so much. We all associate the smell with memories. Who hasn’t smelled the cologne at their grandparents’ house and wondered if that’s what it’s supposed to smell like? Today we explain a little about the scent and uncover the legend of 4711.
The year is 1792 and the merchant Wilhelm Mülhens receives the recipe for the so-called “Aqua Mirablis” as a wedding gift from a Carthusian monk. Admittedly, a rather creative gift. Wilhelm Mülhen, who lived in Cologne’s Glockengasse after his wedding, sold “Kölnisch Wasser” from 1799 onwards using the creative monk’s recipe. The French occupation came and the merchant’s house was given the number “4711”. This was later used to name the cologne.
Now comes the clue. For a long time, cologne was not marketed as a perfume, but as an “internal remedy”. However, when Napoleon Bonaparte demanded the disclosure of all secret formulas for internal remedies, the clever Wilhelm Mülhen listed his water as a perfume. This meant he did not have to reveal the recipe. To this day, manufacturers regard cologne not only as a perfume, but also as an “aroma therapeutic”. This is because the essential oils are said to have a healing effect.
Wilhelm Mülhen was also particularly nice. He had the cologne produced in the first German rescue home for orphans in Düsseltal (yes, that’s right). The institution was thus co-financed by cologne.
If you want to experience the 4711 story up close, you should pay a visit to the 4711 headquarters in Cologne’s Glockengasse. Once a week, you can take part in a public guided tour. And a beautiful carillon can be heard every hour.
You can find more information here.
Cover photo by Ines Hoffmann.
Source: Wikipedia: Wikipedia