Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All France Marseille Château d'If

Château d'If

This historic island prison holds one of the dungeons from the Count of Monte Cristo even though it is a work of fiction.

Marseille, France

Added By
philoursmars
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Château d’If   marie on Flickr
Château d’If   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
One of the cells.   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
Republican graffiti.   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
Republican graffiti.   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
Republican graffiti.   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
Republican graffiti.   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
Republican graffiti.   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
Château d’If seen from Ratonneau, one of the Frioul archipelago island.   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
Château d’If   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
Château d’If and the Mont Puget   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
Château d’If   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
The courtyard with a well.   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
The courtyard with a well.   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
Marianne’s bust.   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
Château d’If   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
Republican graffiti.   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
Château d’If   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
Château d’If seen from Ratonneau, one of the Frioul archipelago island.   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
Château d’If   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
Château d’If   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
The ramparts by the Mediterranean   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
As seen from the sea   Atlas Obscura user marieg
Château d’If   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
Château d’If   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
Château d’If and Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde Church   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Looming just off the southern tip of France is an imperious looking island that is taken up in its entirety by a fortress complex that was made famous by being featured as a location in the literary classic, The Count of Monte Cristo, and even though that is a work of fiction, the fort has preserved its famous cell to this day.

Built in the in the mid-1500s on the tiny island of If, the fortress was originally intended to act as coastal defense station. The fort was built fairly cheaply and carelessly retaining a rough texture on the outer walls of the three-story island defense. Gunnery towers were also built within the walls which remain today as the fortresses primary defining feature. No attack ever took place at the fort and it weathered the centuries nearly untouched save for weather and time.

By the 1800s the space, useless as a fort, was converted to a prison that used its island status as its main escape deterrent. During this time, a range of inmates were committed to the jail ranging from murderers to political prisoners. The conditions ranged from over-crowded dungeon cells for the lower classes to small apartments equipped with fireplaces for wealthy prisoners. The prison held a bit of notoriety thanks to its unique position, but it was catapulted into history when author Alexandre Dumas used it as the jail where his famous Count of Monte Cristo spent over a decade before escaping.

The prison was eventually closed and actually opened to the public as a landmark by 1890. Today, in addition to a great deal of primitive graffiti etched into the bricks by actual inmates, one of the former cells has been designated to have been the one where the Count was held despite the man never having existed at all.

Related Tags

Literature Prisons Jails Fortresses Islands

Community Contributors

Added By

philoursmars

Edited By

littlebrumble, EricGrundhauser

  • littlebrumble
  • EricGrundhauser

Published

February 3, 2015

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/chateau-dif
  • http://if.monuments-nationaux.fr/en/
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teau_d'If
Château d'If
Unnamed Road
Marseille, 13007
France
43.279861, 5.325139
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Fort of Ratonneau

Marseille, France

miles away

Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations

Marseille, France

miles away

Musee du Santon

Marseille, France

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Marseille

Marseille

France

Places 11
Stories 2

Nearby Places

Fort of Ratonneau

Marseille, France

miles away

Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations

Marseille, France

miles away

Musee du Santon

Marseille, France

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Marseille

Marseille

France

Places 11
Stories 2

Related Places

  • Fort Royal

    Cannes, France

    Île Sainte-Marguerite

    A fortress on this island housed the mysterious prisoner known as the "Man in the Iron Mask" for more than a decade.

  • Napier Prison

    Napier, New Zealand

    Napier Prison

    New Zealand's oldest prison holds a dark history and the scars of a deadly earthquake.

  • Joe Byrd Cemetery

    Huntsville, Texas

    Captain Joe Byrd Cemetery

    Inmates dig the graves at the largest prison cemetery in the U.S., the final resting place of both cowboys and Indians.

  • August 2021.

    El Trapiche, Panama

    Coiba Island Penal Colony

    An infamous former prison is now a biodiverse national park.

  • Look up at the Martyrs’ Monument in Old Calton Cemetery.

    Edinburgh, Scotland

    Governor’s House

    Visit the remains of a notorious Victorian-era correctional facility.

  • Ruins of a tower, destroyed during the Battle of Bomarsund

    Bomarsund, Åland Islands

    Bomarsund Fortress

    This impressive coastal fortress was destroyed before it was finished.

  • Phu Quoc, Vietnam

    Phu Quoc Prison History Museum

    This museum stands out for its poignant portrayal of the atrocities of the Vietnam War and serves as a vital educational tool for promoting peace and understanding.

  • The entrance to the premises.

    Cork, Ireland

    Cork City Gaol

    This 19th-century prison once held Irish revolutionary Constance Markievicz, writer Frank O’Connor, and a nine-year-old pickpocket.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.