Ith Castle

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"Dokuchlivaya neighbor" - so nicknamed the inhabitants of Marseille Castle If, they did not like that near the town is a fortress. It was built hastily in 1524-1531 on the orders of the King of France Francis I, the castle was intended to protect against attacks from the sea, and became a gloomy prison.

Despite the fact that Castle If was built as a military fortress, it was never attacked and perfectly preserved.

The castle of If was never attacked. Even the King of Spain, Charles V, who was preparing to attack Marseilles in 1536, changed his mind, perhaps by looking at the fortress. But she only looked impressive, in fact, it was built in a hurry, the walls are laid out carelessly, with numerous violations and not as reliable as they look.

Ith Castle

But the castle was an ideal place for keeping prisoners: isolation and dangerous coastal streams made the escape almost impossible. In 1580 the fortress became a state prison. The dungeons contained Huguenots, politicians, leaders of the Paris Commune, as well as persons who posed a danger to the country.

During the persecution of Protestants by Catholics, the prison was used to imprison noble prisoners. For a fee they were allowed to freely communicate and walk on the main tower. In the lower chambers, poorly flowing air, where it was cold in the winter and terribly stifling in the summer, there was no light, the poor fell into.

But the most famous prisoners in the history of the castle were the mysterious prisoner Iron Mask and Edmond Dantes, the hero of the novel by Alexandre Dumas "The Count of Monte Cristo" .It was these strange persons (one who had never been in the castle of If, the second in general a fictional hero) brought the gloomy fortress popularity .Today, the mysterious castle of If is a visiting card of Marcel .Here excursions are conducted .On the ground floor - the camera named after Dantes, and in it the abbot of Faria .In the novel, he made a tunnel and by mistake made a move to the camera of Dantes, who later became a friend and teacher .

In the camera there is a TV set, on the screen which shows the scene of the meeting of the heroes of the novel Dumas from various films.

On the second floor of the castle there is a camera with an Iron Mask. On the island there is a café with a beautiful view of Marseille.

Practical information

The castle of If is located in the south of France, in the department of Bouche du Rhone, on the smallest island of the Friulian archipelago.

Boats from the Old Port in Marseille go to the castle from early morning until 5 pm. In the summer every 15-20 minutes, and in the winter every 1, 5 hours.

Round-trip ticket to the island of Monte Cristo costs 10 EUR (May 2014).

Address: Embarcadère Frioul If, 1 Quai de la Fraternité, 13001, Marseille.

Working hours from May 16 to September 16: 9:30 - 18:10, from September 17 to March 31 (except Monday): 9:30 - 16:45, from April 1 to May 15: 9:30 - 16:45 , January 1 and December 25: day off.

Entrance: 5, 5 EUR, discount ticket: 4 EUR, children under 18 years and people with disabilities and their attendants: free of charge.

View of Marcel from the cell for prisoners of the castle If

The courtyard of the castle

Entry to the castle

Ith Castle

Marcel and the castle If

Museum of the history of the castle If

The castle walls

At the castle walls