Castle of Montpalau

Castle of Montpalau

Located at the top of Turó de Montpalau, on the slopes of the Montnegre massif that lay in the Pineda area, there are the ruins of the old Castle of Montpalau. The stately jurisdiction comprised an extensive territory, a good part of the Alt Maresme, from Arenys to Hortsavinyà, to the limit of the domains of the castle of Palafolls.

Centuries before the construction of the castle, this place had been occupied by an Iberian settlement, this left numerous vestiges, dating from the 4th century BC. and continuing into Roman times. It is very probable that most of the stone of this old settlement was used to build the medieval castle. This castle has been documented since the middle of the 11th century, when Umbert Odó and his wife Sicardis (lords of Montseny) swore allegiance to Count Ramon Berenguer and the castles of Montpalau (Mont Palaz) and Gironella. It was then in the middle of the 12th century when the viscounts of Cabrera were acquiring the full control of the jurisdiction of Montpalau, a possession that remained until 1574. And it was this year when they sold it to the Marquess of Aitona, Francesc de Montcada.

In the 17th century, the castle was passed on to the dukes of Medinaceli.

Left from this wonderful medieval fortress, there are some walls that define a square ground floor. The device is made up of irregular ashlars, tied with sand mortar and lime. We can enjoy the angles and the rounded window that has been fairly well preserved. At the centre of the castle there was a cylindrical tower, which is currently in ruins. We can find remains from a second site built later on, around the 15th century. Outside the castle we find the ruins of what was the old chapel, dedicated to Sant Miquel.