Colony La Majem

La Majem colony, located in Les Planes d'Hostoles, is a complex around the old textile industry built near the river Brugent at the beginning of the 20th century. It had several textile machines and mainly produced textile used to make men's clothing, coats and blankets. It is believed that in 1920 it already had a steam engine, although there are no certain references of it until 1946. Although after the Civil War times were difficult, in 1949 the industry achieved a high stage of development which mechanised the whole making process. La Majem's golden age coincided with the golden age of the Catalan textile, in the 60s of the 20th century, when it was employing more than 550 people. However, in 1980 it had to close due to the crisis which the industrial sector was experiencing until the late 70s. A few years later it was turned into a cured meat factory which is still working today. The factory was composed of several plants with a round chimney made of bricks. On one side of the factory there were the workers' houses, and on the river side there were the channels used for supplying water to the factory. Despite the change of activity suffered in the 80s (20th century), the complex still looks like the colony it was.