In 1905, in the heart of Palafrugell, Joan Miquel y Avellí proudly looked down on his cork stopper factory. He had opened it just five years earlier with the help of two German partners, Enric Vincke and Pau Meyer, and the money of a Hamburg banker. The four shared an excellent business acumen and were convinced that cork could make them gold. They were right. The factory grew at a dizzying pace and, by 1910, was already one of the largest in Spain, employing 1,000 people and producing one million corks daily. However, wars and fierce competition reduced revenue until the plant was shut down. Today, the Modernista-style building houses the Cork Museum, a space that celebrates Catalan cork heritage.