Durmstrang

Durmstrang Institute for Magical Study (Russian: Институт Дурмстранг по Изучению Магии) is a fictional magic school in the Harry Potter books, similar to Hogwarts. The school existed at least 700 years ago, as that was when they began participating in the Triwizard Tournament.

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.

Uniform and Study

Viktor Krum in uniform as depicted in the Goblet of Fire movie.

According to J.K. Rowling, Durmstrang students wear heavy furs with blood-red robes, yet another indication of the cold climate of the school's location.

In the film, they wear 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. Headmaster Igor Karkaroff is likewise portrayed as an archetypal Russian in the film, with an appearance somewhere between Ivan the Terrible and (appropriately enough) Grigori Rasputin. (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 great emphasis on the study of the Dark Arts. Whereas most major schools limit the study to mere Defence Against the Dark Arts, Durmstrang students actually learn them. The wisdom of this curriculum is questioned by others in the international magical community.

In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire^[2], Draco Malfoy hints that Durmstrang may only permit pure-blood students, 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.

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.

Durmstrang has a reputation for teaching the Dark Arts, possibly because of its former headmaster, 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. At one point, Malfoy implies that in keeping with Karkaroff's Death Eater ideology, Muggle-born students are not admitted at Durmstrang. If this were the case, it is unclear whether this admissions policy changed since his demise.

Bulgarian Quidditch Seeker, Viktor Krum, attended Durmstrang, and was still in school during the 1994 World Cup. In the 1994 Triwizard Tournament, Durmstrang's champion was, to nobody's surprise, Viktor Krum. It was ironic that Krum attended the Yule Ball with Hermione, who is Muggle-born; this goes against the headmaster's ideology of "pure-blood" superiority.

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.

Film changes

In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, it is implied that all Durmstrang's students are male. This was a simplification; Rowling does mention female Durmstrang students in her book.

Also, Igor Karkaroff is given an assistant billed as "Karkaroff's Aide." He was played by Tolga Safer.

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