Château d’If
Château d’If is a fortress located on the island of the same name in the Friulian archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. Famous for the work of the great Dumas, the fortification belongs to the French department of Boucher-du-Rhône. It is located just a mile from Marseille and is clearly visible from the city’s promenade called Corniche. Looking at the white castle, flooded with sunlight and washed by azure waters, it is hard to believe that in the old days it was a prison.
Video: Chateau d’If
Contents- History of construction
- Features of architecture
Scary prison - Famous prisoners
- Literary fame
- Our days, tourist information
Construction History
It has never been possible to actually test the stability and functionality of the fortress, as it has never been attacked in its history. Although there is a legend that Charles V, having seen it, changed his mind about storming Marseille. So the Chateau d’If still had some defensive power.
.Features of the architecture
Famous prisoners
Honoré de Mirabeau, one of the best orators in French history and a revolutionary figure, once languished in the fortress. He was imprisoned for six months. It is known that Mirabeau was kept in a luxurious cell and even organized receptions.
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A prisoner of the Chateau d’If was the captain of the ship “St. Anthony” Jean-Baptiste Chateau. Traveling from Lebanon to Marseille, he brought a plague to the city that took many lives. This crime was unintentional, but the captain was sentenced to imprisonment anyway.
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In the gloomy fortress visited and the ideologist of the French Revolution, General Kleber, however, after his death. His coffin was in the dungeons for almost 20 years.
The last prisoner of the Chateau d’If was Gaston Cremieux, the leader of the Paris Commune. He was taken to his cell in 1871, after the prison had officially closed. It was there that he was shot.
.Literary fame
French historian Alain Decaux ironically noted that the Château d’If gained incredible popularity thanks to two prisoners: the Edmond Dantes, fictionalized by Alexandre Dumas, and the mysterious Iron Mask, a prisoner who actually existed but was never in the described prison. Anyway, today the managers of the museum complex on the Isle of Ife utilize the castle’s literary fame 100%.
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The castle offers organized tours. Visitors are told about the history of the prison, shown the cells on which are placed plaques with the names of prisoners, given the opportunity to see the courtyard, terraces and towers. The cost of the ticket is 5.5 euros. The mode of operation depends on the season, for example, in summer the fortress is open from 9:30 to 18:00. On the territory of the complex there is a cafe with a view of Marseille and shops with souvenirs.
.The Castle of If is a legendary symbol of Marseille. Architecturally, the fortress is inferior to many monuments of France. But it is imbued with a special atmosphere, woven of incredible suffering and strength of the human spirit, which is worth every history buff and fan of Dumas’s work.
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