The Montgrí Castle ( Catalan : Castell del Montgrí ) is a historical edifice in Torroella de Montgrí , Catalonia , Spain , built between 1294 and 1301. Its reason to be was the existing conflict between the counts of Empúries - who ruled over most of the area around the town - and the counts of Barcelona, the most powerful of Catalonia at that time, who also had great power over the Mediterranean.
8-503: In order to control the moves of the counts of Empuriés, the court of Barcelona commanded Bernat de Llabià, the governor of the Royal town of Torroella de Montgrí , to supervise the building of a fortress on top of the Montgrí Massif . Work started in 1294 but the fortress was never completed as is obvious today. After those days, the fortress has lost its strategic value but has instead become
16-465: A market every Monday. The town is towered over by the Montgrí Massif on its northern side. The Montgrí is a long mountain formation that looks like a sleeping bishop seen from afar. Its vegetation consists mostly of low Mediterranean scrub among rocks. The maximum height of the range is 308 m (1,010 ft) and it is topped by an ancient fortress in the middle, the Montgrí Castle . The town
24-617: A symbol of the region. The GR 92 long distance footpath, which roughly follows the length of the Mediterranean coast of Spain, passes the castle on its stage between Sant Martí d'Empúries and Torroella de Montgrí . The fortress' style is one of the Middle Eastern fortresses that became popular in Europe after the Crusades . They featured a regular plan with cylindrical towers attached within
32-512: Is a staging point on the GR 92 long distance footpath, which roughly follows the length of the Mediterranean coast of Spain. Stage 6, to the north, takes a largely inland route, starting with a climb to the Montgrí Castle and then crossing the Montgri Massif to reach the sea at L'Escala before the next staging point of Sant Martí d'Empúries , a distance of 20.0 kilometres (12.4 mi). Stage 7, to
40-410: The courtyard, four wings of auxiliary buildings were planned out but never built. However the interior surfaces of the wall retain certain elements (toothing stones and springings for arches and vaults) which enable us to visualize the structure that these buildings were to have. Outside the castle, the former quarries can be seen, as well as the remains of a wall in the south face and a large cistern on
48-653: The municipality, as are the Medes Islands and a large part of the Montgrí Massif . The town is 22 km (14 mi) east of Girona and 5 km (3.1 mi) west of the resort of L'Estartit . It lies on the junction of the C-31 and GI-641. The town was originally the Royal Port for the Kings of Aragon before the river started silting up and a new port was founded at l'Estartit. The town retains its medieval core and walls and hosts
56-552: The northern slope of the mountains. Torroella de Montgr%C3%AD Torroella de Montgrí ( Catalan pronunciation: [turuˈeʎə ðə muŋˈɡɾi] ) is a coastal municipality on the Costa Brava , and small town in Catalonia , Spain. The town lies on the north bank of the Ter river, a few kilometres before it flows into the Mediterranean. The beach resort of L'Estartit also is part of
64-416: The walls. The only parts erected were the perimeter walls, forming a square of 31 m (102 ft)31m along each side, and the four round towers at its corners. The walls are 13 m (43 ft) high with battlements along the top. The interior of the enclosure was laid out around a square, stone-paved central courtyard. Underneath this, there remains a large cistern for collecting rainwater. Around
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