Violets are not only the quintessential harbingers of spring; no other flower, aside from the rose, has been described and depicted as frequently in literature and art. Over two and a half thousand years of European garden culture, violets have been valued as medicinal and fragrant plants. They were seen as symbols of modesty and pious humility, as well as signs of secret desire. Greeks and Romans adorned themselves with violet wreaths, and bouquets of violets were sold by the thousands on the streets of Paris, London, or Berlin daily, while tons of flowers were harvested from the violet fields of the Riviera as raw material for the perfume industry. It is often overlooked that the cultivation of violets was characterized by laborious and poorly paid work, while the flower itself was celebrated in songs. In addition to the cultural-historical aspects, the author also describes the botany.