Marzà – Castle, Way of St. James and Holiday Apartments

Some remains of Marzà Castle are located in the town center, which is inhabited today.

Culture and Town Center

The town center of Marzà consists of approximately 40 houses and farmhouses, most of which date from the 17th and 18th centuries and have often been extensively remodeled. They form short lanes and a square between some remains of the medieval castle.

Northeast of the square stands the gate of Marzà Castle, with an elegant round arch made of large wedge-shaped stones. West of the gateway is a large section of the castle wall, equipped with embrasures; houses have been built onto a substantial part of it.

Those who cross the town center encounter the castle not as an isolated complex, but amid today’s buildings. The short lanes lead to a square where the remains of the medieval castle and the later remodeled houses lie directly beside one another.

In 1288, the abbot of Sant Pere de Rodes bought d’Amarsà Castle, together with its appurtenances and jurisdictions, from the knight Simó de Sales.

This local history preserves not only the name Marzà, but also the former designation d’Amarsà Castle. The 1288 purchase refers to several components of the former lordship of the castle: the abbot of Sant Pere de Rodes, the knight Simó de Sales, the appurtenances and the jurisdictions.

The new church of Sant Isidre i Sant Antoni de Marzà stands on the western edge of the town. It was blessed on May 15, 1968.

Landscape and Nature

A basalt layer emerges northeast of the town. The Aiguamolls de l’Alt Empordà area, protected under the PEIN, also extends into the municipal area of Pedret i Marzà.

The basalt layer is therefore situated in the landscape northeast of Marzà, while the protected Aiguamolls de l’Alt Empordà area establishes a connection with the municipal area of Pedret i Marzà. Both local and landscape references form part of the closer geographical context of the municipal area.

Way of St. James and Railway Connections

The Way of St. James reaches Marzà along a path parallel to the Riera de Pedret. In the town center of Marzà, it runs along Carrer de la Tramuntana and Carrer del Mar. At its church, the Way of St. James leaves Marzà along a path near the railway tracks.

The route thus connects several clearly identified sections: it reaches Marzà parallel to the Riera de Pedret, crosses the town center along Carrer de la Tramuntana and Carrer del Mar, and leaves Marzà again at the church along a path near the railway tracks.

At the western edge of the town, this route can be located by the church of Sant Isidre i Sant Antoni de Marzà and the adjoining section near the railway tracks. In the town center, the two streets mentioned above mark the route through the inhabited center of town.

Marzà has no railway stop and no rail service. A local path connects Marzà with the nearest station in Vilajuïga.

The town’s railway connection therefore does not arise from its own stop, but from the local path to Vilajuïga and from the section of the Way of St. James near the railway tracks.

More destinations

Other destinations include Cadaqués, Llanca, Campllong, Cabanes, Bellcaire D'empordà, Sant Joan Les Fonts, Santa Coloma De Farnés and Celrà.

For the broader travel overview: Girona.