Enclosed by the cobalt blue sea, the islands may give the impression of a small paradise. But the Îles du Salut have an ugly past. Until 1951, France maintained a prison for up to 2,000 prisoners on the entire archipelago.
On the Île Royale were the administration, the hospital and the death row. However, most of the prisoners were housed in solitary cells on Île Saint-Joseph. The prison conditions were inhuman. There were cells without a roof, so the prisoners were exposed to the tropical sun and rain without any protection. The former hell of the Îlles du Salut has now been transformed into a popular holiday destination. Despite their past, the ruins of the penal colony are a popular attraction.