Rising to 302 metres above the Empordà plain and visible from much of the Costa Brava coastline, the Castell de Montgrí is a striking landmark that was never actually completed. It stands as one of the few examples in Catalonia of a royal castle built directly by the Crown of Aragon — and abandoned mid-construction.
Work began in 1294 under King Jaume II of Aragon, who intended to use the castle to assert control over the Viscount of Bas and secure the Empordà region. The massive square plan with four cylindrical corner towers was ambitious — but construction halted abruptly in 1301 when a political settlement made the military strongpoint unnecessary. The castle was left roofless and unfinished, which paradoxically helped preserve its walls since there was never an interior to loot or remodel.
Despite its incomplete state, the castle’s walls stand nearly to their original height in places, and the interior courtyard gives a clear sense of the intended scale. The views from the top are spectacular: the Empordà wetlands, the Medes Islands marine reserve, the Gulf of Roses, and on clear days the Pyrenees to the north and the Cap de Creus peninsula to the east.
The limestone massif of Montgrí is also a nature reserve protecting rare Mediterranean scrubland flora and nesting birds of prey, making the hike up as rewarding as the castle itself.