Industrial | Cultural Heritage. Goverment of Catalonia.

Industrial

The great specialist in agroindustrial construction in Catalonia, Cèsar Martinell, made his "debut" in Rocafort de Queralt in 1918. The final result, full of innovations and architectural daring, was a great platform for his career.

The winery of Roquefort that we see today is the result of three projects carried out between 1918 and 1947. During the first years, it consisted of a building with two parallel areas and a perpendicular third area which was used as an unloading bay and machine room. Later this was enlarged with two more areas, the modernisation of the machine room, and a new water tank to replace the original.

But without doubt, the most decisive contribution was the use, for the first time, of the Gaudinian parabolic arch as the main support of the structure of the building. The original idea was to have the traditional wooden roof truss as a support for the gabled roof, but the economic circumstances of the time led the architect to change his idea: with the First World War, the price of wood had multiplied five times.

With regard to the "aesthetic" aspect of the winery, the tiling work used in the arches of the doors and windows is particularly outstanding as is the ceramic tiled frieze that runs along the cornice of the building. The main façade of the winery is perfectly symmetrical and highlights the huge window made up of three elements, with rampant arches and round arches. The door consists of a round voussoired arch which, in its time, was the support for the large window. This composition is repeated on the facade of the three areas.
This has to be one of the most beautiful works by the architect Cèsar Martinell. The winery of the Agricultural Union of Saint Isidre of Nulles, on the outskirts of the town, was the third commission in just one year for the most celebrated of the Catalan agricultural architects. With certain lines that remind us of Gothic art, the architecture of the Nulles winery is refined, monumental and elegant.

The structure of the building is slightly different from Martinell's previous works; the construction of Nulles comprises two areas measuring 21 by 18 metres without a separating wall between them. A slender, durable and lightweight "skeleton" that gives the feeling of vastness and allows one to create an open and orderly space. The winery has yet another space, a transversal nave with a simpler structure, based on metal trusses and a sheet metal roof.

The monumentality of the façade fully justifies the name of "wine cathedral". The double basilica area can clearly be seen thanks to its two identical, symmetrical fronts. It has a solid base of stone that runs along longitudinally, broken only by the two doors of each area. The portals outline a parabolic arch and protrude slightly to support the large windows situated above them (also parabolic arches and brickwork). The façade shows off the vertical brickwork pilasters, from the wall front up to the roof where the stepped finish form a symmetrical slope on both sides;  the blind arches and original corners of the façade made from brick pillars forming low relief are also outstanding.
Located in an area with a certain unevenness, topography that was favoured by Martinell for making the best use of space, the winery of Falset was built in 1919.

In this building, that evokes the shapes of a castle, we find one of the characteristics that define Modernista architecture and which continued to be used by the disciples of Gaudí and Domènech i Montaner: the recovery and free interpretation of Catalan medieval architectural forms.

The winery consists of two perpendicular buildings, responding to the division of working spaces: the unloading bay and the machine rooms are in the smallest building, and the vats and presses are in the larger one.

But the difference in Falset is the absence of the parabolic arc. The sloping roof is supported by the classic wooden roof trusses which, in turn, rest on brick pillars together with side arches. On the central structure of the winery of Falset we can see 9 highly stylised vertical windows crowned with a large relieving arch which stands on four brick pilasters that reach the ground. Of the three gateways to the winery, the main one forms a round voussoir arch in the medieval style.

On both sides stand two square plan towers, with large vertical openings and corners finished with brickwork, which contrasts with the white of the rest of the wall and creates a beautiful balance of lines and colours. The last element worth noting is the water tank. Functional and artistic, the tank at the winery of Falset is circular and is supported by two crossed parabolic arches and four pilasters that surround it, all constructed in brickwork.
The cooperative winery of Espluga de Francolí was the first of its kind to be commissioned by a renowned architect. Pere Domènech i Roura, son of Lluís Domènech i Montaner, initiated the construction of the "signature wineries" or "wineries of the rich" with the design and direction of the works. Subsequently, Cèsar Martinell also worked at the Espluga Winery.  Erected in 1913, it was the first Modernista cooperative winery of Catalonia and of the rest of the Spanish State. Today, this centre, a pioneer of the most artistic and innovative the cooperative system houses the facilities of the Wine Museum.

The layout of the winery is similar to that of other contemporary buildings, comprising: three rectangular, parallel areas, individualised two-sided roofs and another nave placed at right angles to the others. In the structure of the winery we find all the Modernista genius. Pere Domènech designed a system of pillars in a cross that became ogival arches which make the role of the transverse and side arches of an area (solutions previously employed in medieval architecture). The areas, 44 by 12 metres, housed a total of 40, reinforced cement vats each with a capacity of 340 hectolitres, and several underground presses. The perpendicular area was slightly smaller (13 by 8 metres) and housed the entrance bay and machine room (with the latest presses of the time). As an annex to this nave, the winery also had a laboratory in order to control the production process more effectively.

The facade is equal for the three main areas. Historians talk about elements that recall the most genuine Catalan architecture: ogival arcades with small windows, brick pillars arranged vertically, triangular crowns and galleries of blind arches reminiscent of Lombard Romanesque. The materials used for the façade were crushed stone, rendering and brickwork. Another "aesthetic" element is the water tank. Located next to the unloading bay, it is a circular brick tower crowned by a conical roof decorated with classic Modernista mosaic.

In 1915, the winery of Espluga de Francolí occupied 1,311 square metres and had 160 members. Cèsar Martinell made an extension in 1929 by adding another area. In 1990 it was renovated and restored and, finally, in 1998 the Wine Museum was opened.
To the south of Barberà de la Conca we find the winery of the Sindicat Agrícola de Barberà de la Conca , (Agricultural Union of Barberà de la Conca) known as the "celler de Dalt" or "Sindicat dels rics" ("Union of the rich"). It was built between the years 1920 and 1921 and those involved in its creation included the architect Cèsar Martinell, the winemaker Isidre Campllonch, and the ecologist engineer Imbert. These were professionals who put all their talent at the service of the reformist agrarian bourgeoisie. 
 
Its construction was undoubtedly one of the most modern of its time, thanks mainly to the technical innovations introduced by Martinell. These were innovations that affected both the architecture and the technology required for the production of wine and that Martinell would apply to almost all of the wineries he designed. They included building the structure with parabolic arches of brick, situating the windows on the lower part of the buildings, making underground cylindrical presses separated by insulating chambers and lastly, the composition and texture of the facades.
 
The building has two parallel rectangular areas, but unlike other wineries, their dimensions are not equal. The large area was kept for storage while the smaller one was divided into an unloading dock, the machine room and the home of the concierge.
 
The main body of the building, measuring 43 by 21 metres, is divided into three areas and has the typical basilica plan used in Christian churches. The areas are separated by pillars in a cross plan which forks out in the top part, resulting in balanceded arches or catenaries (much used by Antoni Gaudí). Above the arches there are some walls crossed by roof trusses that support the sloping roof on two sides; the walls include large windows constructed with brickwork -  the same as the doors - that illuminate this great central area.
 
However, the most outstanding element on the exterior is the elegant water tower, which was built later. It comprises two main structures, one with a square plan and the other octagonal, finishing in a conical crown. Some authors have likened this structure to Baroque belfries, once again comparing the "wine cathedrals" to the Christian churches of "casa nostra" (our land, Catalonia).
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The roar of the water, the smells, the noise of carts and workers were, from the end of the 18th century, a constant presence on the banks of the Rec d’Igualada (irrigation channel). And it is here that new tanneries began to be built. The Leather Museum of Igualada and the County of Anoia recalls this industrial past of the city, linked to leather and also to the manufacture of wool. Conceived in 1954, it is one of the first monographic leather museums in Europe. It also forms part of the Territorial system of the Science and Technology Museum of Catalonia (mNACTEC).

The two buildings that make up the Museum, the industrial evolution of the Rec area is summarised. The main location is in the Cal Boyer cotton factory, an example of strong industrial growth at the end of the 19th century. The other, Cal Granotes, a pre-industrial building (18th century) where traditional vegetable tanning of the leather, particularly of ox and cow, was carried out. It is currently the only tannery museum in Catalonia.

The permanent exhibition is divided into different areas. Particularly notable is the room “L’Home i l’Aigua” (Man and Water) which addresses topics such the role water plays in health, the economic uses of water and the elevation of the water and its transport. It is an innovative museum space where, in the central section, the visitor will find a water channel where they can experiment with various hydraulic devices.

In the room "Dels clots als bombos" (From the pits to the drums) the historical development of the tannery trade is explained: from how the leather was tanned in 1890 (making the connection to Cal Granotes) to the tanning barrels and other machinery that is now  powered by electricity.
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The town of Cercs, in Berguedà, forms part of the most important mining centre in Catalonia, particularly from the modern mining of brown lignite coal in the late 19th century. To ensure stable labour in such an isolated place, a colony was built with housing and basic services for the miners, following the example of the textile colonies in the region.

Since 1999, the colony of Sant Corneli has been home to Cercs Mines Museum, which explains what the mining activity in the area was like over many years, from a geological, landscape, social and economic point of view. The Museum belongs to the Territorial system of the Science and Technology Museum of Catalonia (mNACTEC).

The main building of the Museum is the old school of the colony, which was converted in 1931 to the "Hogar del Minero" (Home of the Miner) dedicated to services for workers (café, library, barbershop, cinema, games room, etc.). Here you can see the permanent exhibition that explains what coal mining and the mining infrastructure was like. A significant part is devoted to daily life in the colony and to the working conditions of the miners. Two audiovisual displays describe their most emblematic protests and you can also visit a miner’s house.

In 2012, "The spectacle of the mine: emotions and sensations" was included as part of the exhibition which delves into the world of mining through a immersive museum experience using new technologies.

Finally, a guided tour of the interior of the mine transports the visitor to other periods and you can travel along the first 450 metres of a 7 km long gallery in a wagon.
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Catalonia, overcoming the phylloxera crisis, was seeking new ways of organising the economic and social interests in the field of agriculture. Thus, the beginning of the 20th century saw the birth of agricultural co-operativism and associationism and, alongside this, the construction of modern and functional wineries that responded to the fashionable aesthetic (the late-Modernisme and Noucentisme).

In 1919, the Sindicat de Cooperació Agrària de Gandesa (Gandesa Union of Agricultural Cooperation), commissioned the architect Cèsar Martinell, who had already designed other "wine cathedrals" such as that at Pinell de Brai, to design its cooperative winery and oil mill. Although the building incorporated all the latest techniques and the division of space usually found in the work of Martinell, this construction is one of the most original of his agricultural works.

Its principal uniqueness is in not adopting the basilical floor plan. It is formed by a main body divided into three parallel naves of different heights, and two further naves placed transversally.

Nor were wooden crossbeams chosen for the support, since this material had become expensive following the First World War. As an alternative, Martinell designed a roof using a four-pointed Catalan vault which allowed small triangular openings to be created, strongly resembling the undulating structure of the Aymerich factory in Terrassa.

On the exterior, there is no main façade, but rather each side is treated in the same way. It is presided over by two water tanks, which rise as small and stylised towers. As a decorative element, we find glazed, green tiles which contrast with the Mediterranean white of the walls.
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Since 1990, the old steam locomotive depot at Vilanova i la Geltrú has hosted one of the most important railway collections in Europe. More than 60 vehicles from all eras, technologies and countries, including 28 steam locomotives from the late 19th century, make up the bulk of the displays at the Museu del Ferrocarril de Catalunya (Catalonia Railroad Museum).

The history of the Spanish railway can be traced through its collection, starting with a replica of the first train to operate on the Peninsula, the Mataró. You can also see the oldest original locomotive in Spain, the last steam-powered vehicle and the first Talgo train. In addition, there are objects from the railways that explain what the stations were like and how the railway traffic was controlled. Among other items, there is an interlocking lever frame and a signal box originating from the Estació de França in Barcelona.

As well as the technical and historical aspect, the Museum invites you to discover the social and emotional aspects of the world of the train. For this reason, it has been designed as an experience space. And so visitors can go inside the locomotives, travel on the passenger trains and even watch audiovisual projections inside a freight wagon.

The important work of the Museum in preservation and dissemination is demonstrated by its documentation centre, with more than 10,000 photographs, 5,000 bibliographic records and 400 videos. 
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The Ecomuseum of Valls d'Àneu is a living museum. It is not contained within a single building but it is made up of several monumental, ethnographic and natural elements, spread out among the municipalities of Àneu which, together, explain how the inhabitants of these Pyrenean valleys have lived from the end of the 19th century. It’s an innovative project that was born in 1994 and which carries out research, conservation, dissemination and recovers the past of the territory in which it is based.

The central point is the Casa Gassia, a house typical of the Valls d'Àneu in the 18th century. It maintains its original structure and the current exhibition space shows what domestic life was like during the first half of the 20th century. Starting from here, the Ecomuseum is spread over 10 further heritage centres.

There are churches - Sant Joan d’Isil, Sant Julià d’Unarre, Sant Pere de Sorpe, Sant Pere del Burgal, Santa Maria d’Àneu and the Son monumental complex - which explain what the popular religion, beliefs and rituals were like. And also defensive buildings, distant in time from each other, such as the medieval castle of Valencia d'Àneu and the post-war bunkers of Guingueta d’Àneu. At the same time, the industrial facilities, which include the hydraulic sawmill at Alos and the cheese dairy of Roseta de Gavàs, are a testament to the economic activities of the area.

In addition, through the objects and items situated in their place of origin, the Ecomuseum shows the transformations that this territory has undergone in recent decades, and allows the natural and monumental elements to be related to the social, cultural and ethnographic traditions.