ROUTE 4

THE MONTSORIU CASTLE ROUTE

VIEW THE COURSE OF THE ROUTE ON THE MAP

Starting point

At km 5 of the main road through the village (GI-552), we can see the northern perspective of Breda’s village centre, where this route begins, next to a children’s park at the near end of Carrer del Dr. Simon.

 

Key features of the route

The goal of this route is to climb up to the most iconic Gothic castle in the whole of Catalonia: Montsoriu Castle. Considered one of the great Mediterranean forts, Montsoriu was the residence of the Viscounts of Cabrera. The castle is 632 metres above sea level with  spectacular panoramic views of the pre-coastal depression.

Description

While not particularly difficult, this linear route does require considerable effort due to the overall variation in elevation. The routes initially heads northward towards the 16th Century house of Can Valent before crossing the Pont del Mut bridge and the Riera de Repiaix stream. We follow alongside the stream until we get to the Coll de n’Orri pass, where we take an alternative track up to Montsoriu Castle which takes us straight to the castle, passing through the Talavera plain.

MONTSORIU CASTLE

Montsoriu Castle sits astride the municipal boundary between Arbúcies and Sant Feliu de Buixalleu, but the closest settlement is Breda. The site was already inhabited in the Iberian era and some archaeological finds date back as far as the Neolithic period.
By the early 11th Century, there was certainly a medieval fort on the site. Over the course of the 11th and 12th Centuries, the castle became the official seat of the Viscounts of Girona, who would soon join the noble Cabrera family through wedlock. Ermessenda de Montsoriu married Guerau de Cabrera in 1033. They later founded the Benedictine Monastery of Sant Salvador de Breda.
Over the course of the 14th Century, the castle became the Gothic residential palace of the Viscounts of Cabrera, who were already one of the most important noble families of Catalonia. Viscount Bernat II became the admiral of the Catalan fleet and the General Captain of the navy. This Gothic fort and palace has survived through to the present day, being the most important Gothic castle preserved in Catalonia.