The Story Behind 4711: Cologne's Historical Fragrance

The name of the classic German scent 4711 comes from the address of its original headquarters in Cologne, Germany. In 1794, during the French occupation of the city, the French general in charge ordered that all houses be sequentially numbered to make it easier to find addresses. The house of Wilhelm Mülhens, who had founded a small factory in the city's Glockengasse area to sell his miracle water, was given the number 4711.

The French military occupation of Cologne in 1794

In the years leading up to the occupation, the city of Cologne had undergone several changes. In 1792, the oldest Eau de Cologne was born when Wilhelm Muelhens received a secret recipe for an "acqua mirabilis" as a wedding gift. Soon after, Muelhens opened a manufactory in the Glockengasse area of Cologne, Germany, and marketed his miracle water as a health drink.

In 1794, a French general, frustrated by the disorganised layout of the city, had all the houses sequentially numbered. Muelhens' house was given the number 4711, which has stuck with the brand ever since.

In 1796, Cologne was formally made a free imperial city, a status that it held until it was annexed by France on 28 May 1796.

During the French occupation, the French modernised public life, for example, by introducing the Napoleonic code and removing the old elites from power. In 1801, all citizens of Cologne were granted French citizenship. In 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte visited the city.

The French occupation of Cologne ended in 1814, when the city was occupied by Prussian and Russian troops. In 1815, Cologne was incorporated into Prussia, and the city experienced a steady upswing borne by industrialisation.

The house numbering system introduced by the French

The French house numbering system was not the first of its kind. In the 18th century, house numbering was introduced in several European cities, including Madrid, London, and Vienna. In 1768, King Louis XV of France decreed that all houses outside of Paris be assigned a number to help locate the soldiers residing in civilian houses.

In the 19th century, the French house numbering system was expanded to other cities in France. In 1805, Napoleon I announced that in Paris, for house numbering, a distinction should be made between even numbers (on the right side) and odd numbers (on the left side). The direction of the streets is oriented from upstream to downstream for streets parallel to the Seine, and from the banks to the north and south for streets oblique or perpendicular to the Seine.

The dispute over the use of the name 'Farina'

The dispute over the use of the name "Farina" began in 1800 and lasted until 1881. Peter Joseph Mülhens and his son Wilhelm Mülhens were accused by the Farina family of using the name without authorisation. The Farina family also produced perfumes, so they feared that customers would confuse the two products. In 1832, Wilhelm Mülhens lost the dispute, but he got around this issue by employing another Mr. Farina so that he could continue using the name.

Napoleon's decree in 1810

In 1810, Napoleon issued a decree that required all medications intended for internal use to publicly list their ingredients. This was a problem for Wilhelm Muelhens, who had received a secret recipe for an "acqua mirabilis" as a wedding gift in 1792. Muelhens had been marketing his miracle water as a health drink, but he didn't want to disclose his secret recipe, so he began to sell his product solely as a fragrance.

The sale of 4711 to Mäurer & Wirtz in 2006

In 2006, Procter & Gamble announced that it would be selling the 4711 brand, along with three other former Mülhens brands, as part of an effort to divest "local" brands and focus on global brands. The perfume company Mäurer & Wirtz, a subsidiary of the Dalli Group, was one of several interested parties. In December 2006, P&G announced that the 4711 brand had been sold to Mäurer & Wirtz. At the time, 4711 had the second-highest market share in Germany, just behind Chanel.

Mäurer & Wirtz's acquisition of 4711 included the famous building on Cologne's Glockengasse, an address irrevocably linked to the history of 4711. The company took over all the employees working at the site.

Dr. Hermann Wirtz, managing partner of Mäurer & Wirtz GmbH & Co. KG, said:

> These brands are the perfect addition to our existing fragrance portfolio. Our ambition is to protect what we have achieved while, at the same time, strengthening our traditional business through strategic acquisitions. We're proud of taking advantage of this historical opportunity.

Bert Lehnen, managing director of Maurer + Wirtz, added:

> We're pleased that, thanks to our acquisition, this time-honored German brand will stay in Germany – it's not even leaving the Rhineland! Maurer + Wirtz has always put a premium on continuity and reliability in branding, so it practically feels like we were destined to acquire these brands.

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