{"id":1013,"date":"2017-06-27T14:50:21","date_gmt":"2017-06-27T12:50:21","guid":{"rendered":"\/blog\/?p=1013"},"modified":"2017-06-27T15:05:15","modified_gmt":"2017-06-27T13:05:15","slug":"4711-refreshes-and-calms-the-nerves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/blog\/2017\/06\/27\/4711-refreshes-and-calms-the-nerves\/","title":{"rendered":"4711 \u2013 Refreshes and calms the nerves"},"content":{"rendered":"

4711 \u2013 Refreshes and calms the nerves<\/h1>\n

For some, it\u2019s just a number. But for others, the very mention of \u20184711\u2019 conjures up a palpable whiff of that familiar tangy fragrance. It\u2019s no secret that opinions are sharply divided by the scent known as \u2018Echt K\u00f6lnisch Wasser\u2019, or \u2018Original Eau de Cologne\u2019. Yet the perfume still enjoys great popularity today. Despite keen interest in the famous brand, the history of this classic perfume remains little known. <\/strong><\/p>\n

The origins of \u20184711\u2019 can be traced back to the year 1792, when businessman Wilhelm M\u00fclhens was given the recipe as a wedding present from Franz Maria Farina, a Carthusian monk. Opinions differ on how much truth there is to this founding legend, but it is a fact that, beginning in 1799, M\u00fclhens sold his \u2018aqua mirabilis\u2019 \u2013 healing miracle water \u2013 as \u2018Cologne Water\u2019, marked with the words: \u2018Franz Maria Farina \u2013 Kl\u00f6ckergasse No. 4711 in C\u00f6ln a. R.\u2019. Although the words served as a kind of seal of quality, they hardly constituted a legal claim to the trademark, for at the time there were over fifty producers making use of the name \u2018Farina\u2019. Decades later, as a result of legal disputes with the Farina family, M\u00fclhens\u2019s grandson would introduce a new product description: \u2018Eau de Cologne Perfumery Factory Glockengasse 4711, opposite the Stagecoach of Ferdinand M\u00fclhens\u2019. In 1875, \u20184711\u2019 was finally registered as a trademark in Germany\u2019s commercial register.<\/p>\n

The Scent of Reform<\/h2>\n

But how did the Eau de Cologne get its emblematic numerical trademark? It all goes back to the time of the French occupation of 1796<\/a>, by which time French expansion into Germany west of the Rhine had extended to the city of Cologne. Territorial reorganization brought modern French administrative techniques to the old cathedral city, specifically what were known as \u2018conscription numbers\u2019. This new practice of continuous house numbering was introduced to end the confusing disorder of house-naming and ultimately to facilitate the quartering of troops. Previously, buildings were known by names only \u2013 a stranger to the town might be told to go to \u2018House of the Bear\u2019, then on to the \u2018House of the Whale\u2019, until he finally arrived at the \u2018House of the Ox\u2019. Which may sound like fun to us now, but must have presented considerable disadvantages in everyday life. It was rational enough to introduce a comprehensible numbering system as an aid to orientation, and Wilhelm M\u00fclhens\u2019s building in Glockengasse was given the number 4711. Years later, the address changed again when the continuous numbering system was abolished, replaced by a street-based system, but the name of the \u2018Original Eau de Cologne\u2019 remained unchanged. So ironically enough, a classic German perfume owes its name to the French.<\/p>\n

From Elixir to Aromatherapy<\/h2>\n

Incidentally, the French took a close interest in the secret recipe of the miracle water from Cologne. In 1810 Napoleon Bonaparte himself ordered the disclosure of the recipes of all internally administered (!) pharmaceutical products, the category to which Eau de Cologne originally belonged. To evade the order and protect the trade secret, \u20184711\u2019 was hastily redesignated as a remedy for external use only. Where previously it had been advertised as a health drink, to be taken straight or mixed with wine, now the manufacturer declared it a stimulating tonic, to be used for aroma-therapeutic purposes.<\/p>\n

Still a Secret Recipe<\/h2>\n

The precise combination of ingredients and essential oils that lend the perfume its unmistakable scent remains a closely-guarded secret today, although we know the main ingredients include bergamot, lemon, orange, neroli, petitgrain, lavender, and rosemary. It is also worth mentioning the design of its unique flacon, known as the Molanus Bottle. Named after its inventor, Peter Heinrich Molanus, the container is a major contributor to the perfume\u2019s brand recognition. As well as its aesthetic function, the unusually shaped bottle is also highly practical for storage and transport, while the striking arch in the bottle\u2019s neck helps the aromatic release of the ingredients, intensifying the olfactory experience.<\/p>\n

Over the years, the range of \u20184711\u2019 products has grown significantly, with a range of soaps and perfumes making new use of the sharp, refreshing scent of \u2018Original Eau de Cologne\u2019. Some of these products can be found in the collection of the Deutsches Historisches Museum, for example \u2018Nelken Toilette Talkum Puder\u2019 (Nettle Toilette Talcum Powder) and \u2018Sparta Cr\u00e8me\u2019. In 2004, the DHM exhibition \u2018Strategies of the Art of Advertising, 1850\u20131933\u2019 presented a fascinating selection of these products, including a number of powders and creams, as well as a flacon of original eau de cologne from the house of \u20184711\u2019.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

4711 \u2013 Refreshes and calms the nerves<\/h2>\n

For some, it\u2019s just a number. But for others, the very mention of \u20184711\u2019 conjures up a palpable whiff of that familiar tangy fragrance. It\u2019s no secret that opinions are sharply divided by the scent known as \u2018Echt K\u00f6lnisch Wasser\u2019, or \u2018Original Eau de Cologne\u2019. Yet the perfume still enjoys great popularity today. Despite keen interest in the famous brand, the history of this classic perfume remains little known.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1005,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[928,924,752,922,926],"class_list":["post-1013","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-allgemein-en","tag-4711-en","tag-cologne","tag-napoleon-en","tag-perfume","tag-special-exhibition"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1013","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1013"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1013\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1016,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1013\/revisions\/1016"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1005"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1013"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1013"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1013"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}