The Gulf of Roses ( ca, Golf de Roses ) is the most northeastern

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a na ...

on the

Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...

coast of Spain. The bay is wide and is formed by the valley of the

Fluvià The Fluvià () is a river in Catalonia. It rises in the Serralada Transversal, passes through Olot and Besalú, and flows into the Mediterranean Sea near Sant Pere Pescador. The ancient city of Empúries was founded near the mouth of the Flu ...

river but also contains the estuaries of the Manol and the

Muga Muga or MUGA may refer to: * Assam silk * Bodegas Muga, a Rioja winery * MUGA scan * Muga, Nepal, village * Muga (river), Spain * Muga River (Ethiopia) The Muga is a river in Catalonia, Spain, that rises in the Alberes mountains of the eastern ...

rivers. These rivers drain the southern flanks of the eastern end of the Pyrenees and Alberes. The area is often affected by the severe

Tramuntana Tramontane ( ) ; french: tramontane ; el, τραμουντάνα, tramountána, ; it, tramontana ; la, trānsmontānus ; mt, tramuntana ; sl, tramontana ; sh, tramontana ; es, link=no, tramontana . is a classical name for a northern wind ...

wind. The bay contains the resorts of

Roses A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be e ...

Castelló d'Empúries Castelló d'Empúries is a town and municipality in the Alt Empordà in Girona, Catalonia, Spain. It lies 9 km east of Figueres. In 1079, Castelló d'Empúries became the capital of the Empúries county due to the previous capital, Sant Mar ...

/ Empuriabrava,

Sant Pere Pescador Sant Pere Pescador is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Alt Empordà, Girona, Catalonia, Spain, is a small town in the Bay of Roses on the river Fluvià, on the coastline of the Costa Brava. The town has the benefit of a sandy 7 km long ...

Empúries Empúries ( ca, Empúries ) was an ancient city on the Mediterranean coast of Catalonia, Spain. Empúries is also known by its Spanish name, Ampurias ( es, Ampurias ). The city Ἐμπόριον ( el, Ἐμπόριον, Emporion, meaning "tr ...

and

L'Escala L'Escala ( Spanish: ''La Escala'') is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of the Alt Empordà in Girona, Catalonia, Spain. It is situated on the Costa Brava, located between the southern end of the Gulf of Roses and Cala (bay) Montgó. It is an impo ...

. The bay was originally settled by the Greeks, who created a trading post at

which became a Roman town before being abandoned after Viking and Muslim pirate raids along the coast. The area was the domain of the

Count of Empúries Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

. The area was malarial swamp for much of the Middle Ages. Irrigation schemes led to much of the former marshland becoming farmland. Tourism caused further encroachment, in particular the 1960s resort of Empúriabrava, which includes canals and moorings for detached villas. An important wintering spot for traveling birds, the marsh has now been designated the ''Parc Natural dels''

Aiguamolls de l'Empordà The Parc Natural dels Aiguamolls de l'Empordà is a natural park in Catalonia, Spain. It forms part of the Bay of Roses and, like the Ebro Delta, was a malarial swampland. The marshland lies between the Rivers Fluvià and Muga. It is the seco ...

. To the north overlooking the Bay lies the ''Parc Natural del

Cap de Creus The Cap de Creus (Cabo de Creus in Spanish) is a peninsula and a headland located at the far northeast of Catalonia, some south from the French border. The cape lies in the municipal area of Cadaqués, and the nearest large town is Figueres, ...

''. The bay was also home to the Catalan restaurant El Bulli. Roses and Gulf-of-Roses

References

Bays of Catalonia Gulfs of the Mediterranean {{Girona-geo-stub