Montgrí Castle

It is a fortress built between 1294 and 1302. The origin of the construction is found in the rivalry between King James II the Just and the Counts of Empúries. It was started to be built in 1294 by Bernat de Llabià, governor of Torroella, as a control point for a possible confrontation between James the Just and Ponç V, Count of Empúries. The date of the beginning of the works is evident from the letter from James II to his procurator Bernat de Llevià, a resident of Torroella, in which the king entrusted him with the administration and direction of the works of the castle. The construction was financed by the royal income of Torroella and a tax on the oxen of Ullà and Albons. Three years later, Bernat de Llevià received custody of the castle. The works were interrupted in 1301 without ever being finished, due to the consolidation of the power of the County of Barcelona against the County of Empúries. The loss of importance of the Emporia Count's house made the completion of the work unnecessary, although the exact date of interruption is known. The last news we have about the castle dates from 1413, and relates it to the Llevià family. By the 20th century, abandonment had led the building to a worrying state of degradation. The Generalitat, the Provincial Council and the City Council commissioned a consolidation project. The castles of Bellcaire and Montgrí are witnesses to the monarchy's fierce struggle against feudal power. The struggle ended with the incorporation of the county of Empúries into the crown after causing the ruin of the region and the diversion of the Ter river from the northern plain of Montgrí to the southern plain in the first half of the 14th century. This diversion caused the formation of the continental dunes of Torroella.