Viaduct

The Viaduct was a bridge at Hogwarts Castle. It was constructed of stone, spanned a large chasm, and connected the grounds with the Viaduct Courtyard. There is a safety balustrade made of stone on each side of the Viaduct walkway to prevent people from falling, as well as iron torches to provide lighting.

History

1927

When Newt Scamander and his allies travelled to Hogwarts to meet with Dumbledore, they walk on this bridge when arriving.^[1]

1997-1998 school year

Main article: Onslaught at the Viaduct

In 1998 during the Battle of Hogwarts, Minerva McGonagall's enchanted suits of armour were stationed on the Viaduct to prevent the Death Eaters to enter the Castle proper. Once the magical protections around Hogwarts were broken, many Death Eaters charged through the Viaduct, as well as the Giants, destroying much of the balustrade.^[2]

Behind the scenes

The viaduct is one of the few areas of Hogwarts which has stayed consistently the same throughout the first six film adaptations. However, starting in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 and other subsequent films including Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, the Viaduct changes places, this time connecting a bigger Viaduct Courtyard to some nearby hills, part of the Forbidden Forest.
There also seems to be a second viaduct that is still connected from the corner of the courtyard to the entrance between the Left and Right Viaduct Towers. However, that second viaduct never existed, except in some places. This likely happened as the development of the Battle of Hogwarts requires a direct connection from the grounds to the main entrance and enough area for many occupants to battle.
- However the Viaduct possibly always there in the start of 1994-1995 school year, as the Hogwarts carriages can go to to the Entrance Courtyard during the Yule Ball in the Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film) and during the term, Viaduct are concealed by magic for the safety of students.
In the PlayStation One version of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, there is a bridge connecting the main entrance (that resembles the Viaduct Entrance façade) and the Quidditch Training Pitch, that closely resembles the Viaduct.
In the video game adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry Potter chases Draco Malfoy across the Viaduct when he was pursuing him after talking to Katie Bell in the Great Hall.
In the video game adaptation of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows the viaduct's length was exaggerated because there is one particular part in the game where Minerva McGonagall is fighting and preventing giants and Death Eaters to gain access to the Viaduct Entrance. So, the length shown in the game is not equal to the one in the movie.
In the films, althrough it appears in all films, except Deathly Hallows: Part 1, the only time it is seen used is in Deathly Hallows: Part 2 during the Battle of Hogwarts and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. The same goes for the Boathouse staircase.

Appearances

Notes and references

Hogwarts Castle
Locations on the ground floor
Astronomy Tower courtyard · Balcony around the Great Hall · Bean Bonus Room · Boys' toilets · Caretaker's office · Central tower courtyard · Chamber off the Great Hall · Chamber of Reception · Classroom Eleven · Classroom 1B · Corridor off the Entrance Hall · Entrance Hall · Great Hall · Great Hall balcony · Ground Floor Corridor · Herbology Store · House Point Ceremony Chamber · Link Building · Marble Staircase · Middle Courtyard · Northern Courtyard · Northern Courtyard Annex · North Tower courtyard · Out Of Bounds · Oxford Corridor · Paved grounds · Portrait Room · Side chamber · Staffroom · Staffroom corridor · Storage Cupboard · Storeroom · Storeroom courtyard · Suspension Bridge · Temporary Defence Against the Dark Arts Classroom · Transfiguration department · Viaduct Courtyard · Viaduct Entrance · Viaduct · Viaduct Courtyard Gatehouses · West Tower courtyard · Suspension Bridge foyer · The Quad
Portraits, statues and other artwork located on the ground floor
Brian Gagwilde · Circe · Gargoyles at the staff room entrance · George von Rheticus · Giffard Abbott · Glanmore Peakes · Godric Gryffindor · Google Stump · Greta Catchlove · Henry Bumblepuft · Lonely Male Gargoyle · Lonely Male Gargoyle's friend · Medieval couple · Merwyn the Malicious · Mirabella Plunkett · Miserable Female Gargoyle · Norvel Twonk · Old Posh Baron · People watching Quidditch · Staring Portrait · Professor Swoopstikes · Temeritus Shanks · Timothy the Timid · Violet · Architect of Hogwarts · First Headmaster of Hogwarts · Jocunda Sykes · Sarcastic Male Gargoyle · Portrait of a girl with flowers · Wizard with a walrus moustache

[COG-0] Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

[DHpt2-1] Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

[1]

[2]