The Molí d'Oli in Cervera del Maestre is a traditional indjustrial facility which was used until the 1920s for the production of olive oil The mill building of medieval origin, gradually grew and was adapted to the new technological needs of oil production. Despite the fact that there are some inscriptions that speak about modification works of the building during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, there is no doubt that the first building was built earlier, possiblty as a a lodge on the old road from the coast to Morella. In 1984 the oil mill was donated to the town of Cervera by its owner Mr Manuel Segarra Sorlí. In 2007 the building was declared Property of Cultural Interest.
This building houses the permanent museum collection of the Molí de l’Oli Interpretation Center (CIMO). The objects on display at the CIMO are part of the daily life of the farmer in the work of cultivation, pruning, harvesting (etc.) of olive trees, and the tools and utensils used in the mill, from the extraction of the oil until its bottling. In most of the cases, their value does not lie in their exceptional quality or unique character (as in the case of the press), but rather in the fact that they are anonymous pieces, once abundant and commonplace, but of great importance as they help us to illustrate and understand the whole process of oil production; here lies their cultural value.
The cultural equipment of the CIMO is an important representation of the ethnological heritage linked to the culture of oil and olives. Its main function is to promote an environment for creative learning, seeking to teach the visitors the meaning of the cultural and historical heritage of the objects on display, using interpretation among its strategies. In this sense, one of the basic criteria of the institution is to explain in an “active” and visual educational way the operation of the mill and the olive culture using the mill itself and the tools, the mannequins carrying out the actions, the testimonies who help us to contextualize and other visual resources, panels and audio-guides.
Address:
Carretera CV-135, km 9
12578 Cervera del Maestre
MOLÍ DE L'OLI: https://molicervera.org