Köln and Cologne are different spellings of the same place. Köln is the German spelling, while Cologne is the French and English spelling. The city is located in Germany and is famous for its perfume, Eau de Cologne, which was created there in 1709 by Giovanni Maria Farina. The name Eau de Cologne means Water from Cologne and has become a generic term for scented formulations with a typical concentration of 2-5% essential oils, alcohol, and water.
Characteristics | Values |
---|---|
Köln in German | Cologne in English |
Köln | Koeln |
Cologne | Koln |
What You'll Learn
Köln and Cologne are different spellings of the same place
Köln and Cologne are indeed different spellings of the same place. The German spelling is Köln, while Cologne is the French version of the same name. The French version is commonly used in English, in the same way that we use Munich for the German München.
The name of the German city of Cologne, or Köln, is the origin of the term "cologne" as a name for a type of perfume. The original Eau de Cologne was created in 1709 by an Italian barber named Giovanni Paolo Feminis, who moved to Germany. He created a highly distilled "water" fragranced with herbs, and his creation was well-received. Feminis asked a relative, Giovanni Maria Farina, for assistance with the business, and Farina eventually took over. The fragrance was originally known as Aqua mirabilis, but Farina renamed it Eau de Cologne in honour of his new hometown.
Farina's Eau de Cologne is still produced in Cologne to this day, and the original shop is the world's oldest fragrance factory.
Pheromone Power: Exploring the Effectiveness of Plorise Cologne
You may want to see also
Köln is the German spelling, while Cologne is the English version
Köln and Cologne refer to the same place. The former is the German spelling, while the latter is the English version. The German umlaut ö is substituted with oe in the English version. This is a common practice when translating words with umlauts from German to English. For example, München, the German name for the city in Bavaria, is translated to Munich in English.
The French also use their own version of the name: Cologne. Eau de Cologne, or simply cologne, is a perfume that originated in the German city. The fragrance was created by Italian perfumer Giovanni Maria Farina in 1709. He named his creation Eau de Cologne, which means "Water from Cologne", in honour of his new hometown. The original Eau de Cologne is a spirit-citrus perfume with notes of lemon, orange, tangerine, clementine, bergamot, lime, grapefruit, blood orange, bitter orange, and neroli. It can also contain oils of lavender, rosemary, thyme, oregano, petitgrain (orange leaf), jasmine, olive, oleaster, and tobacco.
The term "cologne" has evolved over time. While it originally referred to a unisex fragrance with a low concentration of about 2-5%catch-all term for men's fragrances in North America. In contemporary American English usage, "cologne" has become a generic term for perfumes marketed toward men.
Exploring Cologne: Who Should Wear It?
You may want to see also
Köln is also spelt Koeln when you can't use the umlaut
Köln, or Cologne in English, is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, northwestern Germany. The name is borrowed from the German 'Köln', which in turn comes from the Latin 'Colōnia' or Colonia—short for the official Latin name of the original Roman settlement, 'Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium'.
When typing or writing in English, you might see Köln written as 'Koeln'. This is because 'Koeln' is how you write 'Köln' when you can't use the umlaut—the two dots above the 'o'. The umlaut changes the pronunciation of the vowel, but when it can't be used, an 'e' is sometimes added instead, as with 'Koeln'.
The name of the city in English, 'Cologne', comes from the French, who gave the city a French name, despite its German location. The French also use the term eau de cologne to refer to a type of perfume originating from the city. This term has been adopted into English and is often shortened to 'cologne', particularly when referring to men's fragrances.
The Art of Layering Men's Cologne: A Guide to Mastering Scents
You may want to see also
Cologne is the French version of the name
Cologne, or "Koln" in German, is a city in Germany. The name "Cologne" is derived from the French version of the name of the city. In German, the city is called "Köln", and the French version replaces the umlaut with an "e", hence "Cologne". This is a common feature of French place names for German locations, for example, Munich (German: München).
The French name for the city is also the origin of the name for the fragrance "Eau de Cologne", which translates to "Water from Cologne". The perfume was originally created by an Italian barber named Giovanni Paolo Feminis, who moved to Germany from Italy. Feminis began marketing a highly distilled "water" fragranced with herbs in 1709. The formula was then taken over by Italian-born perfumer Giovanni Maria Farina, who achieved great success with the product. The perfume was originally unisex and was used as a cure-all tonic as well as a fragrance.
The Eau de Cologne created by Farina was used only as a perfume and delivered to "nearly all royal houses in Europe". When free trade was established in Cologne by the French in 1797, countless businessmen began to sell their own fragrances under the name of Eau de Cologne. The original formula has been produced in Cologne since 1709 and remains a secret.
Cologne Conundrum: Is Buying Expensive Fragrance Worth It?
You may want to see also
The city is famous for Eau de Cologne, a perfume created there in 1709
The German city of Köln and the French Cologne are indeed the same place. The French version of the name is commonly used in English.
Cologne is famous for Eau de Cologne, a perfume created there in 1709 by Giovanni Maria Farina, an Italian perfumer. The name means "Water from Cologne" in both French and German. Farina described the scent in a letter to his brother in 1708:
> I have found a fragrance that reminds me of an Italian spring morning, of mountain daffodils and orange blossoms after the rain.
He named his creation Eau de Cologne in honour of his new hometown. The perfume was delivered to nearly all royal houses in Europe and was seen as a sensation at the time. Eau de Cologne is a mixture of citrus oils, including lemon, orange, tangerine, and bergamot, among others. It can also contain oils of lavender, rosemary, thyme, and jasmine.
The success of Eau de Cologne led to countless businessmen selling their fragrances under the same name. The original formula has been produced in Cologne since 1709 and remains a secret. Farina's shop, which opened in 1709, is the world's oldest fragrance factory.
Make Your Own Men's Cologne with Essential Oils
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
Yes, "Köln" is the German name for the city, while Cologne is the French name.
You can type Koeln or Koln.
The French do not like using non-French words and spellings.
Yes, the English version of the name is the same as the French version, "Cologne".
Yes, Eau de Cologne, or simply "cologne", is a perfume that originated in Cologne, Germany.