Running parallel to the Rec del Molí (Mill Canal) path; this section of the wall is in the best state of preservation. The walls are reinforced with stone, bound with lime mortar and in many later reforms constructed with brick. In the higher areas, the wall facing reaches up as far as the seven metres. There are several openings arranged in different sections of the wall. Of the eight entrance gates that enclosed in the walled part of the town, the Portal de la Gallarda, from the 13th century, is the only one left. It was protected by walls and a moat, now known as the Rec del Molí; which, via a drawbridge, gave access to the Castelló lake, where, legend has it that the monks from the Sant Pere de Rodes Monastery arrived with their food supplies. Both the door and the base of the wall date back to the 13th century.
In the photograph by Josep M. Cañellas we can see that the main door of the Portal was boarded up, although later reforms have enabled it to be recovered. It is an image that forms part of the Rubaudonadeu Collection from 1888 and which is preserved in the Fages de Climent Library in Figueres. It must be pointed out that the Gallarda Portal had defensive and military functions and that it was an excellent control of passage in and out of the town. This photograph shows the state of deterioration of this section of Castelló’s walls.
Literary Text
Llinda al meu hort, Portal de la Gallarda,
pont llevadís d'il·lusions perdudes.
Frisen les aigües d'ònix ajagudes
a l'hora minsa que el ponent s'atarda.
Dins TOTS ELS SONETS, de Carles Fages de Climent
This text comes from the Literary Atlas of the lands of Girona, coordinated by Narcís Jordi Aragó and Mariàngela Vilallonga and published by Girona Provincial Council in 2003.
Location
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Avinguda Del Rec Del Molí, 17486 Castellón de Ampurias, Provincia de Gerona, España
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