Requesens Castle (Castell de Requesens) is an imposing fortress declared a Cultural Asset of National Interest, strategically positioned in the Albera mountains of La Jonquera near the Spanish-French border. First documented on June 30, 859, the castle was fortified on royal orders during the 11th century, then significantly expanded by the Count of Empúries in the 13th century into a formidable stronghold with three walled enclosures. Following abandonment in the 16th century, the ruins experienced a dramatic renaissance when Count Tomàs de Rocabertí commissioned architect Alexandre Comalat in 1893 to reconstruct the castle in Romanticism and Modernist styles, transforming medieval foundations into an elegant castle-palace. Despite twentieth-century damage from the Spanish Civil War and decades of neglect, the property is undergoing restoration and preservation efforts, preserving its unique fusion of medieval military architecture and early modern romantic aesthetics.
