Hogwarts Castle

"The castle is a stronghold of ancient magic."

- Albus Dumbledore to Harry Potter

Hogwarts Castle is a magical building with many towers and turrets, built over a thousand years ago by a wizard architect. It is home to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. If Muggles approach the castle, all they will see is a mouldering ruin with a sign warning them to keep out and that it is unsafe. It is also protected by numerous ancient spells and incantations to protect the inhabitants, strong enough to apparently resist the dispelling effects of the Taboo. Hogwarts is built in a forested area, and sits on the edge of the Black Lake. The castle is located in Scotland, near the village of Hogsmeade. The castle's architecture is always changing, a feature contributed by Hogwarts founder Rowena Ravenclaw.

Chamber of Secrets
"He was standing at the end of a long, dimly lit chamber. Towering stone pillars entwined with more serpents, rose to a ceiling lost in darkness, casting long, black shadows through the odd, greenish gloom that filled the place"

- Harry, exploring the chamber



The Chamber of Secrets was allegedly created deep under the dungeons of Hogwarts Castle during Medieval times by Salazar Slytherin, who disagreed with the other Hogwarts Founders on the merits of blood purity. The Chamber of Secrets was home to an ancient Basilisk, which was intended to be used to purge the school of Muggle-born students. The entrance can be found in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom on the second floor. In order to gain entrance one must say "open" in Parseltongue and a sink will open into a slide. While falling down the large, dark pipe, one can see hundreds of other pipes leading off. At the end of the pipe, one is launched into a damp, stone chamber. This room is stated to be "miles beneath the school".

Dungeons
The dungeons of Hogwarts Castle are located under the school, and it is colder there than in the main castle.

Dungeon cupboard
This cupboard is a small room off the Dungeon Corridor, just before the dungeon hall. This room was where Rubeus Hagrid hid Aragog in the early 1940s and, consequently, where Hagrid was framed by Tom Riddle on 13 June, 1943 as the one who had unleashed Slytherin's monster.

Death-day Party Hall
This was one of the roomier dungeons at Hogwarts Castle. The room is accessible via the Dungeon Staircase. On 31 October, 1992, this dungeon was where Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington's five-hundredth Death-day Party was held.

Potions Classroom
The Potions Classroom is where Potions classes are taught. The classroom used to be squared-sized, very large, with large tables and windows. From 1995-1996, the classroom was of an oval shape and relatively smaller, with small work tables. In 1996, the classroom was extended, adding space for more work tables.

Potions basement
There was a storage basement under the Potions classroom at Hogwarts Castle. It was accessible via a trapdoor and it was used to store cauldrons, ingredients and phials.

Head of Slytherin's Office


This office was used by Severus Snape during his long tenure as Potions master at Hogwarts. It was a gloomy and dimly-lit room found in the school Dungeons. The shadowy walls were lined with shelves of large glass jars filled with slimy, revolting things, such as bits of animals and plants, floating in potions of varying colours. The office had a fireplace. In a corner, there was a cupboard containing Snape's private stock of potion ingredients. The office is sealed with a spell only wizards can break.

Slytherin Common Room
The Slytherin Dungeon is located behind a wall in the dungeons of Hogwarts. A Password spoken to the wall is required to enter it; whereupon a passage is revealed leading to the Common room -- a low-ceilinged, dungeon-like room with greenish lamps and chairs. This dungeon extends partway under the lake. Off of this room also includes the Slytherin Boys Dormitory.

Philosopher's Stone chambers
These chambers were a series of rooms underneath Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry that served as the defences surrounding the Philosopher's Stone during the 1991–1992 school year. There were seven chambers in total that contained an obstacle or task that guarded the stone from being stolen.
 * 1) Fluffy (Stationed in the Third Floor Corridor guarding the trap door entrance to the chambers below)
 * 2) Devil's Snare
 * 3) Winged Keys
 * 4) Giant Wizard's Chess set
 * 5) Troll
 * 6) Logic riddle
 * 7) Mirror of Erised

Other locations in the Dungeons

 * Potion-Mixing Room
 * Dungeon Five
 * Dungeon cave
 * Dungeon Corridor
 * Entrance Dungeon
 * Dungeon hall
 * Dungeon Staircase
 * Slug Pit
 * Quidditch cave

Hufflepuff Common Room
"It is a very cosy and welcoming place, as dissimilar as possible from Snape’s dungeon. Lots of yellow hangings, and fat armchairs, and little underground tunnels leading to the dormitories, all of which have perfectly round doors, like barrel tops"

- Description

The Hufflepuff Basement is the common room for Hufflepuff students at Hogwarts. The entrance to the Hufflepuff Basement is hidden behind a still-life painting near the kitchens. The cellar is decorated with yellow hangings and filled with fat armchairs. Underground tunnels lead off to the students' dormitories and all the doors are perfectly circular, like barrel tops. This is the only common room Harry Potter does not enter at some point during his years at Hogwarts.

Kitchens


The Hogwarts kitchen is located directly under the Great Hall, down the same staircase that leads to the Hufflepuff Common Room. It contains tables identical to those in the Great Hall and are directly below them; food must simply be placed on the tables in the kitchens, and it magically appears in the Great Hall. The kitchens are staffed by over 100 house-elves including Dobby, Winky, and Kreacher (after Harry Potter inherited him and ordered him there in 1996). To gain access to the kitchens, one must tickle the pear on a fruit portrait, which then turns into a door knob.

Boathouse


The Boathouse is an underground harbour at Hogwarts where the boats are stored and docked after bringing the first years to the castle every 1 September. Up until 1995 a portrait of Percival Pratt, hung on the walls, concealing a short-cut to the Grand Staircase. After Pratt's portrait was removed, there were only three entrances to this building: the path outside the Paved Courtyard, the stairs down from the Entrance Courtyard, and the Lake.

Entrance Hall
The Hogwarts Entrance Hall is located on the ground floor of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, with a wide marble staircase opposite the oak doors. Double doors to the right lead into the Great Hall. The Hufflepuff common room, the kitchens, the dungeons, and the Grand Staircase can also be accessed via the Entrance Hall. There is also an annex off the hall where Professor McGonagall speaks to the first years before the Sorting ceremony at the beginning of each school year.

Entrance Hall Antechamber
The Chamber of Reception is a little building before the Entrance Hall where Professor Minerva McGonagall makes the first year students wait before the Sorting ceremony and the Welcoming Feast.

Entrance Courtyard
The Entrance Courtyard is located off the Entrance Hall. Most students witnessed the departure of Fred and George Weasley here in the spring of 1996. This courtyard replaced the Entrance Hall antechamber beyond 1994.

Great Hall


The Great Hall in Hogwarts is the main gathering area in the school. Students eat their meals, receive daily owl posts, and have certain special events. The Great Hall is a large hall that can easily hold all of the school's students, staff and guests. It has tall walls that reach up to the ceiling, which is enchanted to look like the sky above.

Staffroom
A long, panelled room with mismatched, dark wooden chairs. There is a wardrobe inside it which was once home to a Boggart. The entrance to this room is guarded by two talking stone gargoyles.

Caretaker's Office
The caretaker's office is the room where Argus Filch lived in Hogwarts Castle. It is connected to the Entrance Hall, on the Ground Floor of Hogwarts Castle. It's a small, simple, windowless room with a single oil lamp in the ceiling. It smells vaguely of fried fish.

Transfiguration Courtyard
This is one of the cloisters in the inner part of Hogwarts Castle. This courtyard has grass in the open area, in which a big tree has grown over the centuries. There is one massive iron Armillary Sphere that stands in the centre of the courtyard.

Transfiguration department
This is a wing at Hogwarts Castle containing the rooms dedicated to the teaching of Transfiguration. The Transfiguration department is presumably located around the Middle Courtyard area, including such rooms as Classroom 1B.

Transfiguration Classroom
This classroom is where Transfiguration class is taught. The classroom is located on the ground floor around the Middle Courtyard. The classroom itself is big, surrounded by high windows, has four rows of three desks, and still has enough room for several cages and bookshelves, two chalkboards, and a desk.

Classroom Eleven
Classroom Eleven is on the ground floor of Hogwarts Castle. It was used by the Centaur Firenze, who taught the subject of Divination. Albus Dumbledore changed the room to look like the Forbidden Forest, Firenze's home.

Viaduct Entrance
A big chamber which connects the Viaduct to the first floor by a staircase that leads to the Tapestry Corridor. There is also an archway that leads down the Potions staircase to the Dungeon Corridor.

Paved Courtyard
This courtyard is located on the Hogwarts Castle exterior area. It is connected to the Viaduct and the Boathouse. Four towers are located at either corner of this courtyard: The Grand Staircase Tower, Gryffindor Tower, North Tower and Stone Bridge Tower; and the Hospital Tower and Suspension Bridge Towers are located in the middle of two different sides.

Viaducts
This viaduct is constructed of stone, and extends all the way down to the lake. A courtyard outside the Entrance Hall contains an archway that leads to the Paved Courtyard and across to the viaduct. At the other end, there are double doors which lead into the Viaduct Entrance.

This viaduct is also constructed of stone, and is connected to the Entrance Courtyard at one end and extends out into some nearby hills (presumably part of the Forbidden Forest). It is possible that the entrance footpath leads here.

Other locations on the ground floor

 * House point ceremony chamber
 * Herbology Store
 * Ground Floor Corridor
 * Central tower courtyard
 * Northern Courtyard
 * Northern Courtyard Annex
 * Portrait Room
 * Training Grounds Entrance
 * Suspension Bridge entrance
 * Temporary Defence Against the Dark Arts Classroom

History of Magic classroom
This classroom is where History of Magic classes are taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The subject is taught by Professor Cuthbert Binns, a ghost, who is widely regarded by almost all Hogwarts students as the most monotonous and boring teacher in existence.

Muggle Studies Classroom
This classroom is where Muggle Studies classes are taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Hospital Wing
The Hospital wing was run by Poppy Pomfrey. Students who suffer mishaps during the school year are sent or brought to the hospital wing for treatment. The hospital wing is well equipped to deal with all manner of magical and mundane injuries, from broken limbs to regrowing lost bones. Only in the most severe cases are students sent to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries for further treatment, such as when Katie Bell touched a cursed Opal necklace in 1996.

Poppy Pomfrey's office
This office is a large room adjacent to the Hospital wing at Hogwarts Castle owned by Poppy Pomfrey, the matron. It contains a bookcase, a desk, two closets, two beds for patients, and another bed closed off from the room by a curtain.

Gryffindor Head's Office
The Gryffindor Head Office is positioned on a corridor which may be accessed by climbing the large staircase in Hogwarts' Entrance Hall. This office was occupied by Professor McGonagall, head of Gryffindor house, for many years.

Stone Bridge
The Stone Bridge is next to the Suspension Bridge. It connects the main first-floor corridor of the Stone Bridge Tower with the Tapestry Corridor in the Viaduct Entrance.

Tapestry corridor
This corridor located on the first floor of Hogwarts Castle. It connects the Viaduct Entrance to the main first floor. Its walls are covered in tapestries and, hung over the tapestries, portraits of wizards.

Storeroom
This storeroom is located in the Tapestry Corridor, this was where Severus Snape stored his private supply of potions and potion ingredients. These included Veritaserum and ingredients for Polyjuice Potion.

Girls' lavatory


Located on the first floor this was where a Mountain Troll attacked Hermione Granger on 31 October, 1991.

Other locations on the first floor

 * Bed pan room
 * Classroom 1A
 * Classroom 1C
 * Classroom 1D
 * Classroom 1E
 * Advanced Arithmancy Studies classroom
 * First Floor Corridor
 * Empty classroom on the first floor (I)
 * Empty classroom on the first floor (II)

Girl's Lavatory - Out of Order


This girls' lavatory (also known as Moaning Myrtle's bathroom) is situated on the second floor of Hogwarts Castle. It has been out of order ever since a student named Myrtle was killed there. Myrtle has haunted the bathroom ever since, leading it to be a place most students do not want to enter. This bathroom holds the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets.

Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor's Office
The office used by the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is located on the second floor of Hogwarts Castle. It is connected to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom by two staircases.

Other locations on the second floor

 * Second Floor Corridor

Charms Classroom
This classroom is where Charms classes are taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The classroom has four long, large desks that are built like stairs, and are located on both sides of the classroom. There is also a large fireplace in the room, as well as several stacks of books, where Professor Flitwick lectured his pupils.

One-Eyed Witch Passage
The One-Eyed Witch Passage is a secret tunnel that leads from Hogwarts to the cellar of Honeydukes Sweetshop in Hogsmeade. Harry Potter first learned of it from Fred and George Weasley when they gave him the Marauder's Map in 1993.

Trophy Room
The Trophy Room is where awards, trophies, cups, plates, shields, statues, and medals are kept in crystal glass displays. This room also contains a list of Head Boys and Head Girls. Prominently displayed are Hogwarts Awards for Services to the School, with known recipients being Tom Marvolo Riddle, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. Probably, in 1995, the Triwizard Cup was placed here as well. The Trophy Room is connected to an Armour Gallery.

Library
The Library is located on the third and fourth floors of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and contains tens of thousands of books on thousands of shelves. Overseen by Madam Irma Pince, the library is where students can go to peruse or borrow books to supplement their studies (or for personal enjoyment). The library closes at 8 pm.

Third Floor Corridor
The Third Floor Corridor on the right side of the Castle was out of bounds during the 1991–1992 school year because it was the access point to the Chambers where the Philosopher's Stone was being hidden. Fluffy, a three-headed dog owned by Rubeus Hagrid, guarded a trap door that led into the Chambers.

Defence Against the Dark Arts Classroom
This classroom is where Defence Against the Dark Arts class is taught. It is located on the third floor. Although in 1991, Professor Quirinus Quirrell taught in a different classroom because the third floor was out of bounds. An iron chandelier hung from the ceiling, as well as a Dragon's skeleton. On one end of the classroom stands a projector that is activated by magic. Several desks and tables can be found in the classroom as well as some sets of large windows. The classroom decoration had several changes over the years, spanning from lots of pictures of Gilderoy Lockhart to tons of skeletons and Shrunken Heads.

Clock Tower Entrance
This is one of the three main entrances of Hogwarts Castle. It consists of a large open space at the base of the Clock Tower with two stairwells going up towards the upper levels of the tower. Opposite the main entry there is a large window. A portrait of Damara Dodderidge was hung here and, in 1995, so was a portrait of Termeritus Shanks. The massive pendulum of the Clock swings over this entrance. The entrance can be sealed with a portcullis (which can be lowered and raised with the aid of a lever) and the massive double doors can be locked with numerous bolts.

Other locations on the third floor

 * Armoury
 * Charms Corridor
 * Classroom 3D
 * Gunhilda of Gorsemoor Corridor
 * Storeroom (third floor)

Restricted Section
The Restricted Section is an area in fourth floor section of the Hogwarts Library closed off by a rope and only accessible to students with permission from a professor. In order to enter, they must present a signed note from a professor. The books within the Restricted Section typically discuss the Dark Arts or other information not for the general public or young children. They may be studied by older students for Defence Against the Dark Arts.

Study area
This study area is a library on the fourth floor of Hogwarts Castle, located near Classroom 4F. There is a secret passageway hidden behind a bookshelf which leads to the Seventh Floor Corridor, just opposite a portrait of Sir Cadogan, as well as another behind a tapestry, which Hermione Granger accessed using Draconifors. There is a large fireplace, and a door leading to the Fourth Floor Corridor.

Storage Room
This room is where the Mirror of Erised was kept from September to December 1991 and where Harry saw the image of himself and his deceased relatives including his parents. After this it was moved under orders from Dumbledore in the hope that Harry would not go in search of it again.

Bathroom
This is the bathroom where Graham Montague appeared after entering the Vanishing Cabinet in 1995.

Cuthbert Binns's office
This office was used by Cuthbert Binns as Professor of History of Magic at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The office had a fireplace. It also had two closets, the teacher's desk and a table. Behind a curtain was Cuthbert's bed, although since becoming a ghost it is unlikely that he used it.

Other locations on the fourth floor

 * Fourth Floor Balcony
 * Fourth Floor Corridor
 * Fourth Floor hospital tower corridor

Prefects' bathroom
This is a special bathroom that is restricted to use by school Prefects, Head Boys, Head Girls and Quidditch captains. It is located on the fifth floor behind the fourth door to the left of a statue of Boris the Bewildered, which only opens when given the correct password.

Art classroom
This is where both Art and Muggle Art classes are taught at Hogwarts. This classroom has six easels, three paintings on the walls, a cabinet, a table, and the teacher's desk.

Music classroom
This classroom is located in the Fifth Floor Corridor of Hogwarts Castle. It is in this classroom that both the Music and Muggle Music classes are taught at Hogwarts.

Other locations on the fifth floor

 * Boys' Restroom
 * Classroom 5B
 * Fifth Floor Corridor
 * Fifth Floor hospital tower corridor
 * Fifth Floor classroom
 * Muggle Studies showroom
 * Wizard Card Collectors' Club room

East Wing
This is a large hall located on the sixth floor of Hogwarts Castle. There is a huge fireplace in the center of the room and some portraits hung on the walls. There are various suits of armour, which guard the room after the sun is down. The entrance is located on the Glanmore Peakes' Corridor and it has an entryway to the room Fred and George Weasley hid the Marauder's Map.

Boy's Lavatory
There is a passage leading from this bathroom to the seventh floor. Draco Malfoy was attacked by Harry Potter with Sectumsempra in this lavatory in 1997.

Disused Bathroom
This bathroom has not been used since sometime prior to 1993. In that year, Fred and George Weasley moved their shop from a bathroom on the seventh floor to this one.

Study of Ancient Runes Classroom


This classroom is where Study of Ancient Runes and Ancient Studies classes are taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It includes some desks, a bookcase and a lectern for the professor.

Horace Slughorn's second office
This office was once used by then-Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor Galatea Merrythought, it is now used by Horace Slughorn, Potions Master. Fairly roomy, this office included a fireplace with two large sofas surrounding it, a round dinner table big enough to sit ten people and access to a private balcony. It had enough space to hold a Christmas party. Also, the room has two entrance doors, with at least one connecting to the sixth floor.

Room of Rewards
This room is a secret room at Hogwarts that notes students' various achievements. It can be accessed via the portrait of Vindictus Viridian on the Grand Staircase. It is not to be confused with the Trophy Room.

Other locations on the sixth floor

 * Classroom 6A
 * Storeroom
 * Empty classroom on the sixth floor
 * Glanmore Peakes' Corridor
 * Sixth Floor Corridor
 * Writing Supplies Room
 * West Tower battlements

Ravenclaw Head's Office
The Ravenclaw Head's office is the thirteenth window from the right of the West Tower. The office contains portraits, a desk, and sleeping quarters. This was where Sirius Black was held captive, awaiting the Dementor's Kiss in 1993. He was rescued by Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, and escaped on Buckbeak the Hippogriff.

Room of Requirement
The Room of Requirement is a secret room in Hogwarts that only appears when a person is in great need of it. The room then transforms itself into whatever the witch or wizard needs it to be at that moment. It is believed that the room is Unplottable, as it does not appear on the Marauder's Map, nor do its occupants, although this could simply be because James Potter, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew never found the room.

Arithmancy classroom


The Arithmancy Classroom is where Arithmancy classes are taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It's located on the seventh floor of Hogwarts Castle. It includes number charts, a blackboard and large rows of tables for students to sit in. It may also be where Advanced Arithmancy Studies is taught.

Fat Lady's Corridor
This corridor contains the portrait of the Fat Lady that serves as the entrance to Gryffindor Tower. The corridor is at least one turn away from the Grand Staircase. In the 1993-1994 school year, security trolls were stationed here to protect the Fat Lady following the attack on her by Sirius Black.

North Wing
This wing has hundreds of bookshelves lined along the walls and various tables and furniture placed around the room. It serves the Castle as a reading room and study hall. There are two entrances; one in the seventh floor corridor and the other by the Fat Lady's portrait.

Disused Bathroom
This bathroom is accessible through a portrait in the reading room, as well as a door on the other side of the castle. It was unused prior to 1991, by which time Fred and George Weasley had taken up residence there and set up their own shop for Gryffindor students. In 1993, the twins abandoned the bathroom and set up their shop in a different bathroom on the sixth floor in the Glanmore Peakes' Corridor.

Divination Classroom
This is where Divination classes are taught at Hogwarts. It is located in the North Tower. It is accessible through a circular trapdoor and is described as looking like a cross between somebody's attic and an old-fashioned teashop. The Divination Staircase leads to this classroom.

Divination Professor's office
This office is the workplace and residence of the Divination professor. It is located up a small staircase from the Divination Classroom.

Other locations on the seventh floor

 * Classroom 7B
 * Classroom 7C
 * Gryffindor Tower reading room
 * Gryffindor Boys' Dormitory
 * Gryffindor girls' staircase
 * Seventh Floor Corridor

Astronomy Tower
The Astronomy Tower is the tallest tower at Hogwarts Castle surrounded by a parapet and turret. It is where students study the stars and planets through their telescopes in Astronomy lessons with Professor Aurora Sinistra. This is usually done at midnight where the stars are best seen. The tower is usually out-of-bounds except for classes. All the way down from the boathouse you can see the huge window of the Astronomy Tower. Located within this tower is the Astronomy Corridor, Astronomy reading room, Astronomy classroom, Astronomy stairwell, Astronomy department and the Astronomy Room.

Bell Towers
The Bell Towers are two towers that rise over the main entrance to the Herbology Greenhouses. Between the two towers are a set of double wooden doors which lead along the first floor corridor. Inside the left Bell Tower is Filch's Office.In the first two films, the towers were quite short and had small "balcony-like areas" below the turrets at the top.

Clock Tower


The Clock Tower doesn't begin at the Ground Floor level. Because it's placed on top of a hill, the Tower begins at the Third Floor level. When you enter the Tower, there's a huge space, like an Entrance Hall with flights of wooden stairs at the right and left side. The first landing is at the Fourth Floor level. It's at this landing that are the clock's gears and face. This same corridor connects the Tower to the remaining castle. If you go up another flight of wooden stairs, you will get to another landing, this time at the Fifth Floor level. It's in this landing that are the clock's bells; some massive gold and copper bells. There is another corridor at this landing; like the other, it links the Tower to the main castle.

Dark Tower
The Dark Tower is a small but high tower near the Transfiguration Courtyard at Hogwarts Castle. This tower seems to be used as a prison. It has several prison cells, with the topmost being at the roof. The cells are not, however, charmed or otherwise protected against breaking-in from the outside.

Defence Against the Dark Arts Tower
The Defence Against the Dark Arts Tower stands next to the Viaduct Entrance and overlooks the Suspension Bridge. The tower has a "semi-circular" shape and is where DADA lessons are held and where the DADA professor's office is. Minerva McGonagall's office is located on the first floor of this tower. The Defence Against the Dark Arts staircase runs through the centre of this tower.

Grand Staircase Tower
This tower is probably the most prominent and recognisable feature of Hogwarts Castle. The tower is a circular shape and has a cone shaped roof. The Grand Staircase is located here, and at the top of this tower, are three smaller towers which make up the the Headmaster's tower and serve as the Headmaster's office and residence.

Gryffindor Tower
Gryffindor Tower is located behind the portrait of the Fat Lady on the Seventh Floor of Hogwarts Castle. A Password is required to enter it, which is spoken to the portrait. A circular hole is behind the painting, leading to the Common room, which is a circular room where Gryffindor students can relax after a long day of studying. The Common room is full of squashy armchairs, tables, and a bulletin board where school notices, ads, lost posters, etc. can be posted. A window looks out onto the grounds of the school, and a large fireplace dominates one wall.

The Common room is usually where celebration parties are held after Gryffindor Quidditch victories, or when Harry Potter completed a task for the Triwizard Tournament. It was also the location for Harry and Ginny Weasley's first kiss following Gryffindor's Quidditch Cup victory in 1997. The Common room fireplace was used on several occasions by Sirius Black to contact Harry while he was on the run from the Ministry of Magic.

The Gryffindor dormitories are also located in the Tower, with two doors leading off from the Common room that open to spiral staircases. One of them leads to the girls dormitory, the other to the boys. The stairs to the girls dormitories are enchanted to become a slide if any boy attempts to climb them, but not vice versa, since it was deemed that girls were more trustworthy than boys.

Headmaster's Tower


The Headmaster's office is located within this tower. To gain entrance, a password must be given to a stone gargoyle, which will move aside at the correct password to reveal a spiral staircase with moving steps. The office is a circular room with windows, decorated with portraits of previous Headmasters including Dilys Derwent and Phineas Nigellus Black. Many magical instruments are kept here, such as the Sorting Hat and the Pensieve.

Hospital Tower
This is one of the many towers of Hogwarts Castle which has a semi-ovular shape. It is located on one side of The Quad and is at the end of the hospital corridor which connects the Clock Tower to the rest of the castle. On the first floor of the tower is the hospital wing and school matron's office. There is also a staircase that leads to the fourth-floor corridor and, by extension, to the Grand Staircase.

North Tower


The North Tower is one of the many towers in the castle. The tower is the location for Divination classes and the Divination teacher's office. The entrance consists of a ladder leading through a trap door.

Ravenclaw Tower
The Ravenclaw Tower is located on the west side of Hogwarts, the staircase leading up to the common room is presumably located on the fifth floor, and is the location of the Ravenclaw common room and dormitories. The entrance to the room is at the top of a spiral staircase, and is a door without doorknob or keyhole but a bronze knocker in the shape of an eagle. In order to enter the room, you must answer a question asked by the eagle knocker; if you answer wrong, you must wait for someone who gets it right.

Stone Bridge Tower
This is one of the four towers surrounding The Quad. It overlooks the Stone Bridge. The first floor landing of the tower goes over here connecting the First Floor Corridor to the Stone Bridge.

West Tower
The Owlery is located on the top of this tower. During the winter months, the tower is very cold, to the point that one has to be careful with ice on the higher landings. A tightly spiralling staircase leads from the bottom of the tower on the seventh floor up to a door leading out onto the battlements.

Other Towers

 * Central tower
 * Founders' Tower
 * Herbology tower
 * Left Viaduct tower
 * Suspension Bridge towers
 * Right Viaduct tower
 * Second-floor girls' lavatory tower
 * Training Grounds Tower
 * Turris Magnus
 * Turris Medius
 * Quidditch tower

Gamekeeper's Hut
The gamekeeper's hut is located on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Rubeus Hagrid, the gamekeeper during Harry Potter's time at Hogwarts, lived here for many years.

The Forbidden Forest


Also known as Dark Forest or Black Forest, the forest borders the edges of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry grounds. As its name suggests, it is strictly off limits to students - except in the case of detention, or Care of Magical Creatures lessons that occasionally take place there. Of course, with the various dangerous creatures, such as centaurs, Thestrals, unicorns, Hippogriffs and Acromantula living in the Forest, few students would probably even want to venture into it.

Greenhouses and Gardens


There are at least three greenhouses in which Herbology classes are held, under Professor Sprout's supervision. Greenhouse Three is restricted to students as it houses dangerous plants such as Venomous Tentaculas, Mandrakes, and others.

The Lake


The Hogwarts Lake is a large body of water located to the south of the castle. It is about half a mile in diameter and the Hogwarts plumbing network drains into it. It is home to a giant squid and a colony of Merpeople. The lake was also used as the site of the Second Task of the Triwizard Tournament.

Quidditch Pitch


The school has its own Quidditch pitch where each house's Quidditch teams practice and play games against each other. Each year will see a total of six inter-house matches, along with numerous training sessions by each house team.

Quidditch Gate
The Quidditch Gate is the entrance to the Quidditch Pitch. It is flanked by two stone structures which resemble two of the spectator towers surrounding the pitch. Inside the gate, several trophies and shields are housed. Through the gates leads to a steep winding downhill decent from the vicinity of the Covered Bridge.

Entrance Gates


The Entrance Gates to Hogwarts are located a short distance from Hogsmeade Station. The gates would be opened on the first day of term and carriages pulled by Thestrals would take students up to the castle. The Entrance Gates are made of magnificent wrought iron and are flanked by two columns topped with statues of winged boars. Just a few yards from the gates is a small guardhouse with a tall chimney.

Clock Tower Courtyard
The Clock Tower Courtyard is a cloister on the base of the Clock Tower at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This cloister seems to be one of the older parts of the castle and the ceiling and walls are dilapidated. It also leads to the Covered Bridge.

Covered Bridge
The Covered Bridge is a feature of Hogwarts Castle. The bridge appears derelict, and is constructed of wood beams which extend to the floor of the ravine it lays across. The roof of the Covered Bridge is sagging and appears thatched and tarred. The bridge blends in with the natural environment surrounding it.

The Covered Bridge begins at one end of the Clock Tower Courtyard, at the base of the Clock Tower. At the end of the covered bridge there is a small stone gazebo with benches. Outside of it is the Stone Circle. Given its unstable look it is possibly held up by magic.

Training Grounds
This is where Flying classes are taught to first years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry by Madam Hooch. The grounds are flat, short-cut grassy areas and are located near the Herbology greenhouses. It is overlooked by the Training Grounds Tower.

White Tomb
The White Tomb is the only grave at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Located on the shores of the Lake, it is the final resting place of Albus Dumbledore, who willingly gave his life in the service of the Order of the Phoenix fighting Lord Voldemort's Death Eaters in the course of the Second Wizarding War.

Other locations on the grounds

 * Covered Bridge entrance
 * Entrance Footpath
 * Gargoyle Gate
 * Road to Hogwarts
 * Rubeus Hagrid's pumpkin patch
 * Stone Circle
 * Secret room near the Training Grounds
 * Rubeus Hagrid's garden

Book of Monster's Repair Workshop
The Book of Monster's Repair Workshop is one of the rooms at Hogwarts Castle that is seen on the Marauder's Map. It is, presumably, the place where damaged copies of The Monster Book of Monsters are repaired.

Cauldron cupboard
The Cauldron cupboard is one of the rooms seen on the Marauder's Map. It is possibly a store room where cauldrons are kept. It is possible that the cupboard is close to the Potions Classroom or Snape's provisions cupboard.

Stink Bomb Store
The Stink Bomb Store is one of the rooms seen on the Marauder's Map. It is possibly an illegal store, because when a Hogwarts Professor bursts in the students inside it run out of the room. It is (possibly) the place where Stink Bombs and Dungbombs are sold.

Serpentine Corridor
This is a wide, curved corridor in the Hogwarts Turris Magnus at Hogwarts Castle. One can access the Defence Against the Dark Arts, the Ghoul Studies and Arithmancy Classrooms through this corridor, as well as Lost Wands.

Other unknown locations

 * Ghoul Studies classroom
 * Lost Wands
 * Hieroglyphic Hall
 * Ædificium Oriens
 * Room of Doom
 * Way to Courtyard
 * Porticus Imago
 * Porticus Olidus
 * Lower Chambers Portrait Corridor
 * Apothecary department
 * Horace Slughorn's first office
 * Rolanda Hooch's office
 * Hogwarts laundry
 * Room of Runes
 * Shop
 * Assembly hall
 * The Grindylow Lagoon
 * Hogwarts attic
 * Prowling Passage
 * Poltergeist Passage
 * Undercover route to the Kitchens
 * Study Hall
 * Care of Magical Creatures classroom
 * First Year written exams classroom
 * Detention escape route
 * Lower Chambers Corridor North-East
 * Porticus Periculum
 * Vestibule of Mischief
 * Porticus Circumscriptus

Origin of name
Before the Four Wizards built the castle, the site was a rocky hill beside the loch; there may have been remains of older fortifications on the site. The name 'Hogwarts' looks as if it may derive from Old Norse Hǫggvar virki = "the fortification belonging to (a Viking called) Hǫggvi"; the name Hǫggvi would be his shipboard nickname, not his birth-name, and means "the one who slays" or the like. (The name Hogsmeade (the village) looks like that it may have derived from Old Norse Hǫggvar smiðja = "Hǫggvi's smithy".)

Behind the scenes
"When it came to the third film, Alfonso really wanted to put his mark on the films. And then a lot of things altered: anything from character looks, to the actual layout of Hogwarts itself."

- Warwick Davis


 * When explaining the concept of Legilimency to Harry Potter, Snape said that many ancient spells and charms guard the Hogwarts walls and grounds, ensuring the inhabitants safety.
 * In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the entrance to Dumbledore's office is located in the Transfiguration Courtyard (or it may have been one corner of The Quad, but in the video game adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the entrance is located next to the Entrance Courtyard. In both locations, the gargoyle must have to move quite a way to get to the tower or possibly there could be some kind of magical short-cut.

Differences between books and films
Throughout the Harry Potter films, Hogwarts Castle has changed significantly:

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
In the Philosopher's Stone film, only the parts of the castle that were needed for the film were created. This means that many areas of Hogwarts were missed. Areas of the castle included in the film were:
 * The Great Hall
 * The Grand Staircase Tower
 * The Entrance Hall Antechamber
 * The Viaduct
 * The Viaduct Entrance
 * The Central Tower
 * The Bell Towers
 * The Defence Against the Dark Arts tower
 * The Training Grounds Tower
 * The Transfiguration Courtyard
 * The Paved Courtyard
 * The Training Grounds
 * The Stone Bridge
 * The Suspension Bridge
 * The Boathouse
 * Hagrid's Hut
 * The Quidditch Pitch

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
In the Chamber of Secrets film, there are a few small changes:
 * The Training Grounds Tower's design has been changed, it now looks similar to the Clock Tower, only without the clock.
 * The Greenhouses are added to the east corner of the castle below the Bell Towers.
 * The Whomping Willow is added to the Training Grounds. It is possible that the Whomping Willow was there in Philosopher's Stone, but it was never shown.
 * A trench is added to the Quidditch stadium.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
The Prisoner of Azkaban film sees the most drastic changes to the castle in the series. But, the main shape of Hogwarts is still there. These changes probably came about because of the new director, Alfonso Cuarón. These are some of the main changes that are seen in this film:
 * The Clock Tower, Clock Tower Courtyard, the Covered Bridge and Stone Circle are added to the back of the castle.
 * The Central Tower and Bell Towers now have different shapes.
 * The Dark Tower is added in between the DADA Tower and Central Tower.
 * Hagrid's Hut is moved down the hill at the back of the castle and a Pumpkin Patch is added.
 * The Whomping Willow is moved to somewhere past Hagrid's Hut away from the castle.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
In the Goblet of Fire film, there are the following changes:
 * The Entrance Hall Antechamber which appeared in the first three films is changed to the Entrance Courtyard.
 * The Owlery is added on a hill behind the castle.
 * The Great Hall's structure has been lowered and three towers instead of two now stand on top of it.
 * A path from the Boathouse to the Paved Courtyard is added.
 * A new entrance to the Paved Courtyard is added.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
The Order of the Phoenix film sees the least changes as nothing noticeable happens to the castle. However:
 * The cones on the four smaller towers in front of the Central Tower are made taller.
 * Cones are added to the turrets of the Clock Tower Courtyard.
 * The Stone Circle is removed from the entrance to the Covered Bridge.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
In the Half-Blood Prince film, there are two major changes from the earlier films:
 * The Astronomy Tower is added which means that the D.A.D.A. Tower and Dark Tower are removed.
 * The Training Grounds Tower is replaced by another smaller bell tower.
 * The Entrance Gates are added further down the hill to the back of Hogwarts. It is possible that these were present in the three previous film adaptations but were not shown.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
While omitted from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 aside from a brief cameo appearance, In a trailer of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, we get only a glimpse of the castle grounds. However, there are these noticeable changes:


 * Entrance Courtyard: It has been enlarged. Also, an archway opposite to the Entrance Hall doors connects it to the New Viaduct and the floor has been modified.
 * Viaduct Entrance: The four towers around it have been made bigger.
 * The Quad: One of the towers around the courtyard (the one connected to the Stone Bridge) has been enlarged. A new bridge has been added to the tower, connecting it to a completely new little tower.
 * Boathouse: It has a new design. Snape's death will take place here instead of the Shrieking Shack.
 * Hogwarts Towers: The Astronomy Tower is still there, the Bell Towers too. It seems that the Central Tower has been shortened, but this is not confirmed. Also, Ravenclaw Tower has been introduced.
 * New Viaduct: It has been created. An archway connects it to the Entrance Courtyard, opposite to the Entrance Hall doors.
 * Grand Staircase: the entrance has been greatly enlarged.
 * Great Hall: The window pattern has changed.
 * The castle burning in the poster is actually the look of Hogwarts in Half Blood Prince.
 * The Old Viaduct have been removed. Instead a pathway leads from the Viaduct Entrance past the entrance to the Quad to the Entrance Courtyard.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
A castle has been built in Universal Orlando Studios for the Forbidden Journey in the "Wizarding World of Harry Potter Theme Park". It includes: Although it is based on the castle seen in Half-Blood Prince, most of it is missing and it differs greatly from the one seen in the films:
 * The Great Hall
 * The Grand Staircase Tower
 * The Astronomy Tower
 * The Viaduct and Viaduct Entrance
 * The Entrance Courtyard and the Stone Bridge
 * Hagrid's Hut and the Whomping Willow
 * The Viaduct isn't connected to the Entrance Courtyard.
 * The Great Hall is not connected to the Grand Staircase Tower.
 * The Astronomy Tower takes the place of the Central Tower.
 * The Stone Bridge is only connected to the Grand Staircase Tower.

Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey
The castle seen during the ride is Hogwarts as seen in Half-Blood Prince, but there are some differences:
 * The new Boathouse from Deathly Hallows is added.
 * A skinnier version of the new tower seen in the Deathly Hallows trailers, adjacent to the Stone Bridge Tower, can be seen.

The Queen's Handbag
The castle seen here is the same as seen in the first film.

Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4
Hogwarts in the LEGO Harry Potter game seems to be based on the castle shown in Prisoner of Azkaban, although it is based on the first four films. Presumably, this is because it includes the Entrance Hall Antechamber which only appears in the first three films; and also the Central and Bell Towers have the shape used from the third film onwards. However, The Clock Tower is not connected to the castle like in the films. Also, it seems that the Whomping Willow will change location from the second to third year as it does in the films.

=Notes and references=

Schloss Hogwarts טירת הוגוורטס Galtvort borgen Castillo Hogwarts