Logbook · 3 places

What to see and do in Darnius

What to see and do in Darnius (Alt Empordà, Girona): 3 places across monuments, nature, activities and curiosities, with a photo and a Google Maps location.

1 Villages · 1 Monuments · 1 Nature

How far each place is from the centre of Darnius

Castle of Mont-roig 3.7 km

Towns near Darnius

What to see in Agullana 3.4 km · 4 places
What to see in Boadella i les Escaules 4.2 km · 4 places
What to see in Boadella d'Empordà 4.3 km · 1 place
What to see in la Vajol 5.3 km · 2 places
What to see in Biure 5.9 km · 1 place
What to see in Terrades 5.9 km · 2 places
What to see in Sant Llorenç de la Muga 6.2 km · 4 places
What to see in la Jonquera 7 km · 16 places

Spain › Catalonia › Girona › Alt Empordà › Darnius

What to see and do in Darnius

Darnius
Village
Darnius is a village of medieval stone streets in the north-west of the Alt Empordà, in the Garrotxa d'Empordà, with 563 inhabitants and a territory marked by the sierra de l'Albera and the valleys of the Arnera, Muga and Ricardell rivers. It retains remains of the 18th-century Royal Foundry of Sant Sebastià, the 13th-century Romanesque parish church of Santa María, and the hermitage of Sant Esteve del Llop, remodelled in the 15th century. Four kilometres away, on a hill, stands the castle of Mont-roig, documented since 1070 and declared a Bien de Interés Cultural (Spain's highest level of heritage protection). Beside the village lies the Darnius-Boadella reservoir, with a 60-metre dam holding back 62 million cubic metres of water; its boating facilities and tourism have largely replaced the old agricultural economy.
Castle of Mont-roig
Monument
The castle of Mont-roig, also called the Torre de Mas Puig, today in ruins, crowns its hill, in the municipality of Darnius (Alt Empordà), between the Ricardell and Llobregat rivers. A Bien de Interés Cultural (Spain's highest level of heritage protection) since 1988, it preserves remains of walls and of three towers offering an exceptional lookout over the comarca. Documented since 1070, when Guillem Bernat held it in fief from the Count of Besalú, it later passed to the lords of Mont-roig, vassals of Darnius; in 1292 it had 18 men for its defence. It was the scene in 1794 of the battle of Mont-roig, or of Darnius, during the Guerra Gran, which destroyed and abandoned it. According to legend, its name recalls the blood of a lady and her lover, murdered by her jealous husband, although in reality it refers to the reddish colour of the clayey ground.
Darnius-Boadella Reservoir
Nature
The Darnius Boadella reservoir, inaugurated in 1969, was built on the river Muga; its dam lies within the municipality of Darnius and its waters also extend into Sant Llorenç de la Muga, Terrades and Maçanet de Cabrenys, in the Alt Empordà. It is 63 metres high, 250 metres wide at the crest, with a capacity of 60 cubic hectometres and 363 hectares of water surface. Besides preventing floods on the Muga and producing hydroelectric power, it supplies water to Figueres and towns such as Cadaqués, Roses or Llançà, and irrigates about 4,200 hectares of the comarca. Sailing, rowing and motor boating at under 16 knots are permitted on its calm waters, much used for fishing and cycle tourism.