Montgrí Castle

Coordinates: 42.0521270000, 3.1316660000 (map)

The fortress Castell del Montgrí sprung up at the top of the Montgrí mountain at the end of the 13th century, as a watchtower over the unruly Count of Ampurias Pons V who refused to recognize the royal reign of King of Aragon Jaume II. To monitor the likely movements of Pons's army, the king had decreed his generals to find a convenient spot in the lands nearby, and such a spot was found in 1294, with construction starting immediately.

Usually, the fortifications of this sort take a long time to build and then to improve on over the centuries, but the Montgrí castle is an exception. The walls, the turrets, and the moat had barely gone up when the obstinate Count suddenly bent the knee — the construction of the fortress, now unnecessary, was frozen, as it turned out, forever.

The foundation of the Montgrí castle is a 31-meter square with walls rising to 13 meters. Each corner of the fortification hosts a cylindrical tower. A half-arc looking south hints at the location of the main entrance into the fortress. From an architectural point of view, the Montgrí castle isn't anything special or unseen before, but it is a landmark spot in the Costa Brava nonetheless. The Montgrí mountain, despite its modest height (315 meters), has a pleasant round shape that is accentuated by the fortress at the top and can be spotted from afar. More importantly, the spot for the fortress has been chosen specifically for its views, and today it is the best observation point of the whole coast.

A modest hike is required to see the Montgrí castle up close. The beginner-friendly hiking route from the town centre of Torroella de Montgrí to the mountain summit will take most visitors about 40-50 minutes.