Capellades: Discover Paper History and Cultural Heritage

Between the 18th and 19th centuries, Capellades became one of the country's most important paper production centres; its paper de barba became internationally renowned. The NEAN Parc Prehistòric de Capellades was created to protect the natural and archaeological heritage and to promote knowledge about the country's prehistoric past.

Landscape and Trails

The NEAN Parc Prehistòric de Capellades is located in the Cinglera del Capelló, a travertine geological formation with a total area of just under 50,000 square metres and a trail approximately 1,100 metres long. The Abric Romaní archaeological site and the trail through the Cinglera del Capelló can currently be visited by prior reservation. The five Camins del Paper routes begin in Capellades.

The first Camins del Paper route is the shortest and most urban; it is 3.44 kilometres long, takes approximately 45 minutes, and passes by a particularly large number of elements of paper-related cultural heritage.

History and Paper

The Museu Molí Paperer de Capellades is housed in the former 18th-century paper mill Molí de la Vila. The Molí Paperer Munné paper mill is located in the former Cal Farreres mill, which was built in the mid-18th century. A guided tour of the Museu Molí Paperer shows the paper mill's machinery and demonstrates the production of handmade paper.

The Museu Molí Paperer also offers families a guided paper workshop in which each participant makes three sheets: one from white paper, one from recycled paper, and one from coloured paper. From the mid-18th century, Font de la Reina was home to a compulsory checkpoint on the royal road to Aragón for inspecting all paper makers in the principality who supplied government institutions. The Font de la Reina neighbourhood was a strategic transit point on the royal road along the section between Igualada and Piera; this could explain the presence of numerous inns.

Townscape and Culture

Casa Bas houses the municipal exhibition space Les Voltes de Casa Bas. The Església de Santa Maria is a 19th-century religious building whose origins can be traced back to a Romanesque temple from the 10th century. The present-day Església de Santa Maria is a neoclassical building with a Latin-cross floor plan, a prominent round dome, and a bell tower.

Inside the Església de Santa Maria are works by local painters and sculptors as well as by Josep Maria Jujol, a student of Gaudí. The Capella de Santa Bàrbara is a small rectangular chapel with a bell gable. The Església del Pilar was built in 1801 by the Serra family, who were among the prominent paper manufacturers.

Water and Events

La Bassa is one of the natural springs of the Carme-Capellades aquifer. The Rec del Corronaire is the open section of the Rec Major, which carries water from the Bassa of Molí de la Vila to the Molins de la Costa and onwards to the Anoia River. In the 18th and 19th centuries, its water powered sixteen mills known as the Molins de la Costa. The open Rec del Corronaire runs along the street of the same name from Carrer Abat Muntadas to Carrer del Pilar.

Font Cuitora is a park laid out around the spring of the same name, with benches in the shade of plane trees. The auditorium in Font Cuitora Park hosts concerts and performances, especially in summer. The Mercat Figueter takes place on the second Sunday of Lent. It evolved from a traditional occasion for buying figs, first into a seasonal market and later into a fair with full-day activities involving shops, service providers, and local associations from Capellades.

Santa Dorotea is the co-patron saint of Capellades and is at the centre of the winter festival held on 6 February.

Other Places

You can access further destinations here: La Palma De Cervelló, Sant Just Desvern, Orpí, Calonge De Segarra, Sant Pol De Mar, Ca l'Avi, Pacs Del Penedès and Sant Marti De Tous.

Getting There

Capellades railway station is served on the Llobregat-Anoia network by lines R6 and R60 between Barcelona–Plaça Espanya and Igualada.

To the main travel overview: Barcelona.