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Friday, March 8, 2013

The Château de Monte-Cristo is the country house of the writer Alexandre Dumas, père, built in 1846 in the English garden-style by the architect Hippolyte Durand in Port-Marly, Yvelines, France. Dumas named it after one of his most successful novels. Durand also built a writing studio on the grounds; Dumas named it Château d'If after another setting from his novels. In 1848, short of money, Dumas had to sell the property. Abandoned in the twentieth century, the château fell into disrepair by the 1960s. It was restored with the patronage of King Hassan II of Morocco. He financed the restoration of its Moorish room. Since 1994, the two châteaux and gardens have been restored. The entire property is operated as a public historic museum memorializing Dumas, père.