Museu Molí Paperer de Capellades

About the museum

The Museu Molí Paperer de Capellades occupies the former Molí de la Vila, a paper mill with the typical 18th-century structure. The building covers about 2,200 m², with four floors and a basement. Next to it is the Bassa, a spring from the Carme-Capellades aquifer that once yielded about twelve million litres a day and drove the sixteen mills of the Costa.

Thanks to this abundance of water and to its location near large population centres, Capellades and its surroundings were one of the most important paper-making centres in Spain during the 18th and 19th centuries. They mainly produced barba paper and cigarette paper, which were sold on the Spanish market, in South America and in the Philippines. Surnames such as Soteras, Romeu and Guarro, and especially Serra and Romaní, gave their brands international renown.

The museum was founded in 1958 by a group of paper industrialists who carried out pioneering work in what is today called industrial archaeology. Thanks to donations of machinery and objects and to financial contributions from industries and publishers, it opened on 6 July 1961. It is now run by a board made up of Capellades City Council, the Associació d'Estudis Històrico Paperers, the Consell Comarcal de l'Anoia and the Museu de la Ciència i la Tècnica de Catalunya.

It is an unusual museum because it combines a museum with a working mill: handmade paper is still produced, and much of the running costs is covered by sales of this craft product and by visits. It has a permanent exhibition room on paper and printing systems.

Highlights

• 18th-century paper mill with a workshop where handmade paper is produced
• Permanent room on the history of paper and printing systems
• La Bassa, the spring that powered the paper mills of the Costa
• Family workshop to make a sheet of paper
• Five hiking routes, “Camins del Paper”, through the paper-making landscape of the Anoia

Permanent exhibition

• Exposición permanente sobre el papel y los sistemas de impresión – Room tracing the history of paper and of printing systems, two stories that run in parallel. It is complemented by the basement, where artisans making paper by hand can be seen at work.

Founded

1958

Operated by

Patronato del Museu Molí Paperer de Capellades (Ayuntamiento de Capellades, Associació d'Estudis Històrico Paperers, Consell Comarcal de l'Anoia y Museu de la Ciència i la Tècnica de Catalunya)

Admission & discounts

The ticket includes the guided tour with a specialist guide. Guided tours are in Catalan, unless booked in advance in another language.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations

Family paper-making workshop (with a €3.50 supplement) and educational workshops for schools from P3 (nursery) onwards.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

The rental rooms (conference room and library) have Wi-Fi, but no general Wi-Fi for visitors is listed.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Corporate events

Up to 150 guests.

The viewpoint (third floor, 440 m², up to 150 people), the conference room (100 m², up to 100 people) and the library (40 m², up to 20 people) can be rented. It is also possible to add an exclusive visit to the museum’s rooms.

Plan your visit