Durmstrang Castle

"Veil, ve have a castle also, not as big as this, nor as comfortable, I am thinking. Ve have just four floors, and the fires are lit only for magical purposes. But ve have grounds larger even than these — though in vinter, ve have very little daylight, so ve are not enjoying them. But in summer ve are flying every day, over the lakes and the mountains —"

- Viktor Krum describes Durmstrang to Hermione Granger.

Durmstrang Castle is a four-stories high castle located in Sweden or Norway,  that houses Durmstrang Institute. The castle has existed since at least 1294, around the year of the first Triwizard Tournament.

Durmstrang is not quite as big as Hogwarts. The castle is only four stories tall and fires are only lit for magical purposes. It has very extensive grounds. In addition, the school is Unplottable; Durmstrang, like other schools, likes to conceal its whereabouts so the other schools cannot steal their secrets. The students' arrival at Hogwarts by ship in 1994 implies that Durmstrang is somewhere at the seaside or by some river or major lake.

Behind the scenes

 * In an interview with Accio Quote J.K. Rowling stated that Durmstrang was located in Scandinavia, in the far north of either Sweden or Norway.
 * However, from Krum's description of the school's surroundings in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, they do not match northern Sweden but do almost perfectly match that of Norway. Krum says that the castle is situated in a mountainous region, and is in close proximity to at least two lakes. Krum then goes into great detail in describing the climate at Durmstrang, stating that during the winter months there is very little sunlight. The highest point in Sweden is the mountain Kebnekaise at 6926 feet (2,106 m). This is fairly diminutive when compared with Norway's highest mountain Galdhøpiggen which measures 8100 feet (2,469 m). However, Norway's highest peak is not of a significant latitude to restrict sunlight to the degree that Krum describes, but Sweden's certainly is, being situated north of the Polar Circle. Furthermore, Galdhøpiggen is surrounded by several major lakes including Gjende and Russvatnet, whereas the northernmost point of Sweden has no lakes, the closest lake being Torneträsk, which is located in the northwest.
 * In the film, the for Durmstrang is shown to be a double-headed eagle, and also features Cyrillic characters. Some of the regions of Sweden have crests with beings such as dragons, eagles, griffons, and giants. Additionally, one region of Sweden has a moose, eagle, and a wolf on its crest, all three of which are found on the Durmstrang crest, though Norway's national crest is a lion, very much resembling a Griffin. Some regions in Norway are also stated to have some of the same creatures on them as Sweden, both countries being of Viking descent. Also, on the German flag there is an eagle similar to the one on the Durmstrang crest.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)