The Castle of Plaja

17310 Lloret de Mar, Girona
Coordinates: 41.6993360000, 2.8595880000 (map)

Castell d'en Plaja, a Neo-Gothic castle tucked to the side of the beach in Lloret de Mar, is a project of Catalan architect Isidre Bosch i Batallé who loved to work in the Art Nouveau style. Construction began in 1933 and was finished in the 1940s after the Civil War ended.

The castle was commissioned by Narcís Plaja Martí, a Girona entrepreneur with a clear vision for his summer residence. Locals who remember the Franco dictatorship era would also recall the last name "Plaja" by association with cookies Galetes Plaja. The factory making them is long defunct but the building housing it stands to this day at the intersection of Carrer Figuerola and Carrer Cerverí in the centre of Girona.

The castle Castell d'en Plaja is still owned by the Plaja family and is closed to the public so one can only admire it from afar, especially from the steps of Camí de Ronda.