The Secret Power of Scents: A Journey Through 1,000 Years of Smell

A new exhibition at the Kunstpalast Museum in Düsseldorf, Germany, invites visitors to explore history through the forgotten sense of smell.

Titled “The Secret Power of Scents,” the exhibition presents 81 different fragrances across 37 galleries, covering more than a thousand years of cultural evolution.

Each section pairs specific scents with corresponding artworks — from the myrrh and incense of medieval religious artifacts to the metallic tang of World War I battlefields and the tobacco-and-vanilla aroma of the roaring 1920s.

The project, curated by scent specialist Robert Müller-Grünow, demonstrates how smell has influenced religion, politics, art, and social customs over time.

Using advanced scent diffusers and immersive technologies, the museum merges sensory science with fine art to reconstruct the invisible layers of human history — from sacred rituals to modern consumer culture.

The result is a groundbreaking experience that engages visitors in a way that sight and sound alone never could.