Castell de Montsoriu

Named as “one of the beautiful and noble castles of the world” in the 13th century by Bernat Desclot, today visiting Montsoriu evokes what life was like in one of the great castles of the medieval period. Considered to be one of the great fortresses of the Mediterranean, Montsoriu shows us the structure of what was the grand residence and palace of the Viscounts of Cabrera.

The rediscovery of the history of Montsoriu can be related to its discovery by hikers and romantic writers of the preceding century, but it would not be until 1914-1915 that the first archaeological cataloguing of the monument takes place, with blueprints by Jeroni Martorell, tasked by the Monument Catalogue Service of the Diputació de Barcelona. Later on, the organization Amics de l’Art Vell (Friends of Old Art), a private association dependent on the Institut d’Estudis Catalans, gets involved in the situation of the monument thanks to Manuel de Genovart. At the same time, during these decades of the 1920’s and 1930’s, the ascent to the castle becomes a popular excursion for many hiking entities. Also, between 1932 and 1936 there was a hiking group named Montsoriu in Barcelona. In spite of this, it would not be until the second half of the 20th century that civil society starts to articulate several attempts to recover the castle; for example, in 1949 the Arbúcies town council proposes its conservation. Also, in 1970 the Spanish Association of Friends of the Castles, with Lluís Monreal in charge, starts a campaign for the recovery of Montsoriu, which they assess as one of the most important fortresses of Catalunya. However, it would not be until the creation of the Ethnological Museum of the Montseny that this entity elaborates several reports and course of action proposals between the years 1981 and 1987. These will have a direct incidence on the development of a citizen’s awareness campaign, reaching its maximum expression in the social sphere with the creation of the Friends of Montsoriu Castle Association in 1992. This act of taking a stance by civil society, the receptiveness of the public institutions linked to the castle, and the approachability of the previous owners of the castle, the Ribot family, will allow the creation in 1994 of the Patronat del Castell de Montsoriu, the organisation in charge of managing the monument, and later, in 1998, the concession of the castle to its current owner, the Consell Comarcal de la Selva, that has carried out the restoration campaigns since 1995.

The collaboration of different institutions has allowed the diverse restoration phases to go ahead, and starting in 2011 the monument was opened to the public.

ACCESSIBILITY

 Persons with reduced mobility can request access with their vehicle up to the castle by sending an email to info@montsoriu.cat one week in advance.

We remind you that during the visit you will encounter different staircases, and therefore it is not recommended for persons with reduced mobility.

HOW TO REACH

Montsoriu Castle is located between the towns of Sant Feliu de Buixalleu and Arbúcies, in the region of La Selva. You can get there from Arbúcies (exit 209 of the Eix Transversal, C-25) or from the AP7 motorway, exits 10 and 11. For exit 10 (Hostalric), take the road towards Arbúcies and at approximately 3km from Hostalric turn onto route GI-552 towards Breda. Further on you take the road that leads to the residential area of Fogueres de Montsoriu (you can also get to the castle from the road that leads from Breda to Arbúcies). For exit 11 of the AP7 (Sant Celoni), you must take the C-35 road towards Hostalric and the GI-552 to Breda and Arbúcies. Three kilometers before the Breda exit, at Coll de n’Orri, you will find the turn towards Fogueres de Montsoriu. Follow this road towards Fogueres de Montsoriu until you reach Coll de Castellar (3 kilometers), where you will find the parking lot.

Montsoriu Castle is an excellent destination for both cyclists and walkers following marked routes from neighboring towns (Arbúcies, Breda, Riells i Viabrea, Sant Feliu de Buixalleu…).

The GPS coordinates of the castle are: 41º 47′ 0.157” N 2º 32′ 25.962” E

PARKING

At this point you must leave your vehicle next to the road (signposted parking), and follow a forest trail on foot up to the castle; it is a nice excursion of about 2.8 kilometers, taking between 25 and 45 minutes. When leaving the castle, if you feel up to tackling a steep shortcut, you can take the path that starts at the external square of the castle. Following the signposts you will get back to the paved road in less than 10 minutes.

ADMISSION

ENTRY

PRICE WITH GUIDE PRICE WITHOUT GUIDE

- Adult 6 € 5 €
- Ages 13 to 25 years 4 € 3 €
- Older than 65 years 4 € 3 €
- Students 4 € 3 €
- Children under 13 years old Free Free
- Adult of large or single family 4 € 3 €
- Club El PuntAvui / Club Vang 2 × 1 2 × 1
- Club Super3 Free Free

Special discounts for groups of more than 20 adults. Send mail to info@montsoriu.cat.