MILITARY ROUTE

The viscountcy of Cabrera was articulated through a network of castles and fortified houses, which were the seats of politic and military power for the nobility in the Middle Ages. This defensive system was supplemented with a number of walled-in villages and watchtowers.

Historical records show that a castle at the top of Hostalric Hill already existed in 1145, associated from its origins with the Viscounts of Cabrera. The castle was located in the central section of the Camí Reial (mediaeval road) between Barcelona and Girona, which gave it great strategic importance. From the 17th century, and particularly during the 18th century, the mediaeval castle structure underwent a series of major architectural alterations in order to adapt it to the significant development of gunpowder artillery. As such, all that remains visible today of the original mediaeval castle are the north and south façades of the main building, an interior cistern dating from that period and other minor architectural elements.