VERSAILLES (AFP) - Nearly one million euros (S$1.52 million) is needed to restore the Monte-Cristo castle that was once home to famed novelist Alexandre Dumas, author of classics including The Three Musketeers.

The castle in northern France has fallen into disrepair and is threatened by humidity.

The current managers of the estate say 921,000 euros is needed to get it back in shape.

The municipal association that runs the estate is looking for public contributions to help with the restoration. If they can raise 5 per cent of the funds, they will get further help from the national Heritage Foundation.

So far fund-raising efforts have been disappointing, with only 150 euros collected in two weeks.

Having made a fortune from his literary successes, Dumas had the castle built in Port-Marly in 1844 and named it after one of his most popular novels, The Count Of Monte-Cristo.

He called the three-floor, neo-Renaissance castle "a paradise on Earth".

A small manor on the grounds, in which Dumas used to work, also requires a complete overhaul.

The manor, called Chateau D'If, is named after the prison in which Edmond Dantes, hero of the The Count Of Monte-Cristo, spends six years in solitary confinement.