Ferdinand Mülhens
Ferdinand Mülhens (born December 23, 1844 in Cologne , † January 15, 1928 in Königswinter ) was a landowner and entrepreneur who lived in Königswinter. He was also called "De Naas vun Kölle".
biography
Ferdinand Mühlens first became a partner in 1872, and in 1873, after the death of his father Peter Joseph Mülhens, became the sole owner of the Cologne water and perfume factory founded by his grandfather Wilhelm Mülhens in the Glockengasse under the company Franz Maria Farina. Under his leadership, the company expanded its product range. Mühlens was the first cologne manufacturer to also produce body care products and other fragrances and use product advertising. In 1881 he registered the new company "Eau de Cologne- und Parfümerie-Fabrik Glockengasse No. 4711 across from Ferd's horse mail. Mülhens ”in the commercial register.
4711 became the focus of advertising and eventually became a highly recognizable brand. Towards the end of the 19th century, 4711 Eau de Cologne became a mass product. In 1873 Mühlens received permission to use the royal coat of arms of the Netherlands. Due to the high quality of his products, Ferdinand Mülhens was awarded the title of kuk court supplier around 1900. In 1902 the title was conferred by the Shah of Persia, in 1906 by the Queen Mother Margaret of Italy , in 1897/1913 by the Tsar of Russia and in 1911 by the King of Romania.
In 1886 he became the sole owner of the Wintermühlenhof in Königswinter, which he also used as a retirement home from 1900. In 1893 he built the "Savoy Hotel Großer Kurfürst" opposite Cologne Cathedral. In 1911 he acquired part of the Petersberg, on which he had another hotel built. Under his influence the Siebengebirge developed into a tourist area. In 1910/11, Mülhens donated the Wilhelm-Auguste-Viktoria-Haus to the city of Königswinter as a public welfare building . In 1913/1914 he had the hotel built on the Petersberg , which later became the federal government's guest house, based on a design by Heinrich Müller-Erkelenz . From 1913 he was the owner of the Drachenfelsbahn .
Ferdinand Mülhens was an honorary citizen of Königswinter from 1922 until his death.
His son and heir to the company 4711 was Peter Mülhens , the founder of the Röttgen stud in Cologne- Heumar . His sons-in-law were the Munich furniture manufacturer Heinrich Pössenbacher and the manufacturer Michael DuMont from the DuMont publishing dynasty , while his granddaughter Marietta was married to the Düren district administrator Theodor Beaucamp .
literature
- Karl Michael Armer u. a .: Muelhens. Cologne-Paris-New York, the culture of beauty; two hundred years 4711. DuMont Cologne 1992, ISBN 3-7701-3121-5
- Eau-de-Cologne and perfumery factory Glockengasse No. 4711 across from Ferd's horse mail. Mülhens: 160 years 4711: 1792–1952. Cologne 1952.
- Ulrich S. Soénius : Mülhens, Ferdinand. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 18, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1997, ISBN 3-428-00199-0 , p. 301 f. ( Digitized version ).
- Wilhelm Treue : Ferdinand Mülhens (1844–1928). In: Cologne entrepreneurs in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. (= Rheinisch-Westfälische Wirtschaftsbiographien, Volume 12). Aschendorff, Münster 1986, pp. 158-180.
Individual evidence
- ^ Portal Rhenish History , accessed on May 1, 2012
- ↑ Document RWWA 162-101-1 of the archive holdings Dept. 162 Muelhens KG at the Rheinisch-Westfälisches Wirtschaftsarchiv foundation in Cologne
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Mülhens, Ferdinand |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Landowners and entrepreneurs |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 23, 1844 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Cologne |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 15, 1928 |
| Place of death | Koenigswinter |