The fortress Castell del Montgrí sprang up at the top of the Montgrí mountain at the end of the 13th century, to watch 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 that his generals find a convenient spot in the lands nearby. Construction started immediately after such a spot was found in 1294.
Usually, the fortifications of this sort take a long time to build and then to improve 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. And so, the construction of the fortress, suddenly unnecessary, froze… as it turned out, forever.
The foundation of the Montgrí castle is a 31-metre 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 especially original, but it’s 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 remains the best observation point along the entire 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.
