Museum of the Sedó Colony in Esparreguera

The Sedó Colony was the first and largest company town in the textile industry of Catalunya. It was begun in 1846 by Miquel Puig i Catasús and expanded under Antoni Sedó i Pàmies, whose name it takes. The factory continued successfully producing cotton fabrics for most of the twentieth century but closed in 1980. It was integrated from spinning the cotton yarn to finishing and dyeing the textile. The museum of the colony is in part of the factory. Visitors go inside an enormous turbine of 1899 and its water pipe and see tunnels, spinning and weaving sheds and maintenance workshops. Displays show the history of the factory, textile machinery and products and a film and model of the huge complex. Tours take visitors to see the waterfall, aqueduct, Sedó family home, church, workers’ housing, theatre, school and famous helix-shaped chimney. The museum is a branch of the National Museum of Science and Technology of Catalonia (MNACTEC) and is part of its Territorial System of 26 museums that explain industrialisation in Catalonia.