The Cologne Connoisseur's Guide: Know Your Fragrance

Cologne is a city in Germany with a rich history and a lot to offer. It is the largest city in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the fourth-most populous city in the country, with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants. The city is famous for its medieval Cologne Cathedral, which was the world's tallest building from 1880 to 1890 and is now the third-tallest church and tallest cathedral in the world. It is also known for its Eau de Cologne, a perfume that originated in the city in 1709 and has since become a generic term for scented formulations. Cologne has a thriving LGBT+ community and is known for its relaxed, liberal, and tolerant attitude. The city also boasts a vibrant nightlife, with several orchestras and music venues, as well as numerous pubs and breweries.

Cologne Cathedral

The construction of the cathedral began in 1248 but was halted around 1560 and remained unfinished for several centuries. Attempts to complete the construction began around 1814, but the project did not receive proper funding until the 1840s. The edifice was finally completed according to its original medieval plan in 1880, making it one of the longest construction projects for a single building. The towers of its two huge spires give the cathedral the largest façade of any church globally.

The cathedral has eleven church bells, four of which are medieval. The largest bell is the St. Petersglocke, also known as "Decke Pitter" in the local dialect. During World War II, the cathedral suffered fourteen hits by aerial bombs and was badly damaged. Repairs were completed in 1956, and archaeological excavations were conducted between 1946 and 1997 to investigate the impact of the bombings on the cathedral's foundations.

Eau de Cologne

> 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. A single vial cost half the annual salary of a civil servant.

The original Eau de Cologne is a spirit-citrus perfume with a typical concentration of 2-5% essential oils, blended with extracts, alcohol, and water. It contains a mixture of citrus oils, including lemon, orange, tangerine, clementine, and bergamot, and can also contain oils of lavender, rosemary, thyme, and jasmine, among others.

The term "cologne" has become a generic term for perfumes marketed toward men, or a less concentrated, more affordable version of a popular perfume. However, cologne can be applied to perfume for men or women.

In Turkey, it is customary to offer cologne to guests when they visit. This tradition began when Farina's cologne was brought to the Ottoman Empire during the reign of Abdülhamid II in the 19th century.

The Original Eau de Cologne 4711 is one of the oldest fragrances still produced in the world. It was developed in the 18th century by Wilhelm Mülhens and has been produced in Cologne since at least 1799.

Roman history

Cologne, Germany, was founded and established in Germanic Ubii territory in the 1st century CE as the Roman Colonia Agrippina, hence its name. Agrippina was later dropped (except in Latin), and Colonia became the name of the city in its own right, which developed into modern German as Köln. The city functioned as the capital of the Roman province of Germania Inferior and as the headquarters of the Roman military in the region until it was occupied by the Franks in 462.

The Romans founded Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium (Cologne) on the river Rhine in 50 CE, and the city became the provincial capital of Germania Inferior in 85 CE. It was also known as Augusta Ubiorum. Considerable Roman remains can be found in present-day Cologne, especially near the wharf area, where a 1,900-year-old Roman boat was discovered in late 2007. From 260 to 271, Cologne was the capital of the Gallic Empire under Postumus, Marius, and Victorinus. In 310, under Emperor Constantine I, a bridge was built over the Rhine at Cologne. Roman imperial governors resided in the city, and it became one of the most important trade and production centres in the Roman Empire north of the Alps.

The first known bishop of Cologne was Maternus, elected in 313. The city was the capital of a Roman province until it was occupied by the Ripuarian Franks in 462. Parts of the original Roman sewers are preserved underneath the city, with the new sewerage system opening in 1890.

Cologne is also famous for Eau de Cologne, which has been produced in the city since 1709. Originally mixed by Giovanni Maria Farina in 1709, it has since become a generic term for scented formulations.

Medieval trade centre

Cologne's location on the Rhine River was key to its success as a medieval trade centre. The city was an influential merchant stronghold in the early Middle Ages, with its position on the river allowing Cologne wholesalers to control the flow of goods from northern Italy to England.

Cologne was a member of the Hanseatic League, a business alliance of trading cities and their guilds that dominated trade along the coast of Northern Europe. The city's merchants had probably the most extensive connections and the most varied trade of all the German towns. Crafts included textile manufacturing, bookmaking, leatherworking, enamelling, and metalworking, with the work of Cologne's goldsmiths being particularly fine. The city's hinterland in Germany gave it an added advantage over the other Hanseatic cities, and it became the largest city in Germany and the region.

Cologne's central location on the Rhine placed it at the intersection of the major trade routes between east and west and was the basis of Cologne's growth. The economic structures of medieval and early modern Cologne were based on the city's major harbour, its location as a transport hub, and its entrepreneurial merchants who built ties with merchants in other Hanseatic cities.

By the 13th century, Cologne's population and commercial trade rivalled cities like Paris and London. On top of its forty thousand residents and the daily influx of market-goers, pilgrims came from all over Europe to see the city's many churches and relics.

Modern cultural hub

Cologne is a major cultural centre for the Rhineland. It hosts more than 30 museums and hundreds of galleries. The city is also home to many institutions of higher education, including the University of Cologne, one of Europe's oldest and largest universities; the Technical University of Cologne, Germany's largest university of applied sciences; and the German Sport University Cologne.

Cologne is a significant research hub for the aerospace industry, with the German Aerospace Center and the European Astronaut Centre headquartered in the city. Lufthansa, Europe's largest airline, also has its main corporate headquarters in Cologne.

The city is known for its thriving LGBT+ community, with countless gay bars and clubs in the city centre. Cologne's annual Gay Pride parade, also known as CSD Christopher Street Day, attracts around one million visitors each year.

Cologne is also famous for Eau de Cologne, which has been produced in the city since 1709. "Cologne" has since become a generic term for scented formulations with a typical concentration of 2-5% essential oils.

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