Medieval Castle

Following the tradition of the medieval castle in Spain, Castell d’Empordà is a Gothic building dating to the fourteenth century that still preserves traces of Romanic architecture. The oldest document from the medieval castle is dated 18th March 1301. This document states that Mr. Lluc Pons donated the castle to Guillem de Vilagut, who in turn built a fortress there to protect himself from his enemies. The ancient ruins of this fortress can still be seen in the northern part of the castle.

In 1413, the Margarit family, important landowners and adventurers, acquired the medieval castle. Captain Margarit is well known for having served under Christopher Columbus when he discovered the New World. Presumably, Margarita Island, located off the coast of Venezuela, was named in honour of Captain Margarit. His nephew, Francesc Margarit, also known as "Serrallonga" was a sort of Catalonian Robin Hood during the recession and Black Death of the seventeenth century.

The Margarit family was known for their generosity and hospitality. Each year they gave a banquet with music for the villagers. This tradition has continued up to our times, and is celebrated the second Sunday of October, when the inhabitants of the village come to the medieval castle to hold a festival in the estate’s olive orchard.

The last descendents of the Margarit family were the Boiys twins. They were among the first pilots in the Spanish air force. They died in an aviation accident during the war between Spain and Morocco that took place at the beginning of the last century.

In the 1970s, the surrealist artist Salvador Dali tried to buy the medieval castle as a gift to Gala, his muse. However, negotiations failed and he instead bought the medieval Castle of Púbol, located scarcely 5 kilometres from Castell d'Empordà. This medieval castle is now a well-known museum that forms part of what is known as the Dalinian Triangle.