Castell de Mata

Castell de Mata is the ruined remains of a medieval watch-castle standing atop Turó d'Onofre Arnau hill, in the Mata area on the edge of Mataró, in the Maresme region of Barcelona province, Catalonia. Only fragments of walls and a tower foundation survive today, yet for centuries this fortress was the seat of the lords who ruled the surrounding countryside and a key link in the region's coastal defense network.

Where exactly is it?

The ruins sit on a hilltop roughly 130 metres above the surrounding land, with views stretching over the bay of Mataró and the Maresme plain. To reach the site, drive from Mataró toward Sant Andreu de Llavaneres, then follow a gravel forest track and a short walking trail to the summit. From Barcelona, the drive takes around forty minutes, mostly along the C-32 motorway.

Who ruled from here?

The earliest surviving reference to the castle dates from 1042, when a land-sale document in the Maresme named it as the "castrum" of Mata. Through the 11th and 12th centuries it belonged to the Castellvell family — in 1110, Ramon de Castellvell willed it to his wife, Ermessenda, for her lifetime. In the following century, the marriage of Guillema de Castellvell to Guillem Ramon de Montcada brought the fortress under Montcada control. During the 14th century it changed hands repeatedly, passing to Arnau Ballester in 1341 and to Pere de Màrgens in 1366, before briefly coming under direct royal control in 1421.

How did the castle fall into ruin?

A few years earlier, in 1419, the inhabitants of Mataró and the neighboring parishes of Sant Andreu and Sant Vicenç paid King Alfonso the Magnanimous several thousand florins to buy their freedom from feudal rule — a turning point that ended the lords' authority over the local population, even though the castle itself stayed in private hands for a while longer. After the war against Joan II, Pere Joan Ferrer held the fortress from 1475 onward. Following his death, the castle fell into steady decline and was finally abandoned before the century was out.

What survives on site today?

Archaeological digs carried out in 1991 uncovered the base of a circular tower, sections of the enclosing wall, and old water cisterns — a layout typical of 11th-century Catalan watchtowers. The castle once formed part of a chain of coastal lookout posts, exchanging visual signals with Castell de Burriac and nearby watchtowers to warn villages of raids arriving by sea. No museum displays or information panels mark the site today; visitors find bare ruins left to weather naturally, though the location remains legally protected as a historic monument.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly are the ruins of Castell de Mata located? On Turó d'Onofre Arnau hill, about 130 metres above sea level, in the Mata area near Mataró, in the Maresme region.

Who controlled the castle during the Middle Ages? First the Castellvell family, then the Montcada family, followed later by Arnau Ballester, Pere de Màrgens, and Pere Joan Ferrer.

Why is the castle in ruins today? After Pere Joan Ferrer's death near the end of the 15th century, the fortress was gradually abandoned and never rebuilt.

What can visitors see at the site now? The base of a circular tower, wall fragments, and old cisterns uncovered in a 1991 excavation, plus sweeping views over the bay of Mataró.