The Paper Mill Museum is situated in the small town of Capellades (some 60 km south-west of Barcelona) SPAIN. Capellades is a small town in the Anoia region of Catalonia. It is 316 metres above the sea level and has a population of 5 thousand people. The town is built on a limestone terrace that is rich in water and is surrounded by wooded mountains and natural springs. Thanks to this abundant water and its convenient geographical location, Capellades was, during the 18th and 19th centuries one of the most important paper centres in Spain. The Paper Mill Museum is housed in a 18th century paper mill, known as the “Molí de la Vila”.
Beside the mill there is a small lake, known as the “Bassa”, a natural spring, which daily supplies a volume of 12 million litres. The water of the Bassa once provided the sixteen paper mills that there were in Capellades, which were known collectively as the “Molins de la Costa”. Paper from the area of Capellades and the nearby towns of La Pobla de Claramunt, Carme, San Pere de Riudebitlles, in particular deckle edged paper and cigarette paper, supplied a large part of the Spanish and Latin American markets. Well known paper makers of this period were: Romani, Serra, Guarro,etc. Drawing on this rich historical paper making context, the Capellades Paper Mill Museum was founded in 1958 by a group of industrial paper makers who, by this action, put themselves in the vanguard of what is known today as industrial archaeology. Thanks to numerous donations of machinery and economic aid, the museum was opened in 1961. Today the museum is run by: The Town Council of Capellades, The Association of Historical Paper-Making Studies, The Anoia district council, The Museum of Science and Technology of Catalonia.
Form its beginnings, the Museu Moli Paperer de Capellades was a museum and a working paper mill. The museum is unusual, not only in its dual role as a museum and working mill, but also for the fact that it produces 80% of its running costs. That represents a lot of hard work!. The museum is housed in an 18th century paper mill, the building occupies 2,200 square metres; four floors and a cellar. Since 1993, the museum has been involved in the most ambitious renovation to date. This complete remodelling of the building due to be completed in 2002, will provide the museum with the infrastructure and services to be a Cultural Centre for Paper on the international stage.
