Durmstrang
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| Harry Potter School | |
| Durmstrang Institute | |
|---|---|
| Established | 1290s or earlier |
| School type | Witchcraft and wizardry |
| Head | Formerly Igor Karkaroff, unknown |
| Location | An unknown location in north-eastern Europe |
| First appearance | Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire |
Durmstrang Magical Institute is a fictional magic school in the Harry Potter books, similar to Hogwarts. The school is known to have existed at least 700 years ago, as that was when they began participating in the Triwizard Tournament.
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[edit] Location
Durmstrang is thought to be located in northern Europe, or northwestern Russia or the Baltic coast, although the name points to a Germanic origin (thought to be a play on the phrase Sturm und Drang, a German literary movement).
The school would appear to be very far North, as part of the school uniform includes furs, the locale is often freezing and the days are very short in winter [1]. This would seem to invalidate Bulgaria (considered only as it is the country for whose Quidditch Team Krum plays), which has a warm climate and long winter days. Krum comments that the Institute's grounds are far more extensive than Hogwarts, and that it is possible to cover the distances with a broom. This would indicate that it is somewhere far inland, away from the sea, and also very isolated. All known Durmstrang characters have a Slavic name or accent, which seems to rule out Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Iceland as the school's main recruitment grounds. The school could be located in one of the areas with a German-influenced history, such as Livonia.
[edit] Notable People
Throughout Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the headmaster of Durmstrang is Igor Karkaroff. Karkaroff was a former Death Eater, but he got out of Azkaban by giving the Ministry of Magic some names of his co-conspirators. In the film, he is portrayed as an archetypal Russian, with an appearance reminiscent of Ivan the Terrible and Grigori Rasputin. At the end of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Karkaroff flees as soon as Lord Voldemort arises again. In the sixth book it is mentioned that Karkaroff was killed by the Death Eaters. It is not known who took over, or whether the school's reputation improved or worsened due to this.
Bulgarian Quidditch Seeker Viktor Krum attended Durmstrang, and he was still in school during the 1994 World Cup. In the 1994 Triwizard Tournament, he was Durmstrang's champion. Ironically, Krum attends the Yule Ball with Hermione Granger, who is Muggle-born; this goes against the headmaster's ideology of "pure-blood" superiority.
[edit] Uniform and Study
According to J.K. Rowling's book, Durmstrang students wear heavy furs with blood-red robes, another indication of the cold climate of the school's location.
In the film, Durmstrang dress includes Russian ushankas and tsigeika coats. A double-headed eagle is clearly visible on the sails of the Durmstrang ship and on Victor Krum's school clothing. This symbol is used in the heraldry of several nations, but is most popularly associated with Imperial Russia. (Rowling did not indicate any of these things; her version is considered canon, but she did have some input into the creative content of the film.)
Durmstrang is known for placing an emphasis on the study of the Dark Arts. While most major schools limit the study to mere Defence Against the Dark Arts, Durmstrang students actually learn them. It is unknown if this is an actual school tradition, or a consequence of the former headmaster Igor Karkaroff being a Death Eater.
In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire[2], Draco Malfoy hints that Durmstrang may only allow pure-blood students to attend, or may at least not admit muggle-born witches and wizards. It is unknown if this statement is true at all, and if it is, whether it was the policy of its former headmaster, Igor Karkaroff, or a general policy of the school.
No indication has been given as to changes in curriculum and admissions since Karkaroff's departure.
[edit] Durmstrang Castle
Like Hogwarts, Durmstrang is located inside a castle. The castle is only four stories tall, and fires are only lit for magical purposes. It has very extensive grounds though - as Viktor Krum tells Hermione Granger, the Durmstrang Castle is smaller than the Hogwarts Castle, but the grounds itself are much bigger. They are similar to Hogwarts in that the Durmstrang grounds also have lakes and mountains, but on a larger scale.
[edit] Film changes
In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, it is implied that all of Durmstrang's students (or at least, all those who came to Hogwarts) are male. This was a simplification; Rowling does mention female Durmstrang students in her book. All of the male students depicted in the movie have close-cropped hair, while no such specification exists in the book.
Also, Igor Karkaroff is given an assistant billed as "Karkaroff's Aide." He was played by Tolga Safer.
[edit] References
- ^ Said by Viktor Krum to Hermione Granger on Christmas day in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire page 363 of the UK edition.
- ^ [HP4] Rowling, J. K. (2000). Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (in English). London: Bloomsbury/New York City: Scholastic, et. al. UK ISBN 074754624X/US ISBN 0439139597.
[edit] See also
- Minor Durmstrang characters
- Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
- Beauxbatons Academy of Magic
- Sturm und Drang (to which the name Durmstrang alludes)
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| Towns | Godric's Hollow · Hogsmeade · Little Hangleton · Little Whinging |
| Schools | Hogwarts · Durmstrang · Beauxbatons |
| Homes | Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place · The Riddle House |
| Streets | Diagon Alley · Knockturn Alley · Spinner's End |
| Other | Azkaban · Hall of Prophecies · Hog's Head · Ministry of Magic · Shrieking Shack · St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries · Weasley's Wizard Wheezes · Wizarding world |
