The Llobregat industrial colonies in Bages and Berguedà

Colonies are architectural complexes that use hydraulic energy to carry out industrial activity. The best-known colonies are textile factories, but there are also agricultural, chemical, cement and mining colonies. This complex consists of buildings used for industrial activity, housing (for owners, technicians and workers), and services (schools, nurseries, churches).

The proposed route includes industrial colonies located on the stretch of river between Monistrol de Montserrat and Berga. When visiting a colony, the architectural complex should be observed as a whole, but also in terms of the particularities of each of its buildings.

The river intake, the water supply channel, and the turbines that power the factory are essential elements and were often built before the factory itself. The industrial buildings, large spaces covered by trusses, are the raison d’être of the colony and have provided economic activity to the area for a long time. The workers’ housing is also noteworthy, as it surpassed the hygienic and functional models of the time. At the same time, the homes of the owners and technicians ostensibly express the uniqueness of the building with the quality of their finishes and the sumptuousness of their design.

Most of the colonies are of unknown authorship, but some buildings were constructed by renowned architects of the time, such as Alexandre Soler i March and Josep Torres Argullol.

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