If Castle in Marseille

If Castle is a fortification used first to protect Marseille and then to keep dangerous criminals locked up. It is located on one of the islands of the Frioul archipelago, about a mile from the Bay of Marseille, in the southeast of France. The three-storey square building with a length of each side of 28 meters is surrounded by three defensive towers with cannon windows. The shores of the island are fortified on all sides.

The history of If Castle begins in 1524, when Emperor Francis I ordered the construction of a defensive structure to protect the bay. The castle, built over several years, was rough, ugly, but looked impregnable and fully justified its purpose. However, it soon ceases to be a military installation. Fortified on all sides, the island was surrounded by underwater sharp rocks, against which the waves beat day and night. This is what made him a prison from which he could not escape. In the XIX century, about 3,500 Huguenots were exiled here, and in 1871 Gaston Cremier, the head of the Paris Commune, was executed here.

In 1844, the novel of the already famous writer Alexandre Dumas “The Count of Monte Cristo” was published, the main character of which Edmond Dantes was imprisoned together with Abbot Faria in the prison of If Castle. After 14 years of imprisonment, Dantes manages to escape through a dug hole. In fact, such an escape was never carried out. At the end of the XIX century, it was decided to close the prison, but public interest in this place did not fade. Since September 23, 1890, the castle is open to the public. 3 years before that, the famous writer Mark Twain came here, who later enthusiastically talked about the place of imprisonment of another hero of Dumas - the Man in the Iron Mask. There are also rumors about the imprisonment of the Marquis de Sade in the castle. Visitors are also shown Edmond Dantes' camera and the manhole through which he escaped.

You can get here on a tourist boat, exiting their bay of Marseille.