Hogwarts Castle is a wondrous, 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.
"He was standing at the end of a long, dimly lit chamber. Towering stone pillars entwined with more serpents, rose to a cieling lost in darkness, casting long, black shadows through the odd, greenish gloom that filled the place"
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 Parseltounge 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".
The Potions Classroom is where Potions classes are taught. The classroom used to be squared-sized, very large, with large tables and windows[1]. From 1995-1996, the classroom was of an oval shape and relatively smaller, with small work tables[2]. In 1996, the classroom was extended, adding space for more work tables[3].
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.
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[4]. 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[5].
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.
"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"
— J.K. Rowling in a webchat
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.
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.
The Great Hall in Hogwarts is the main gathering area in the school. Students eat their meals, receive daily owlposts, 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.
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 stone talking gargoyles.[6]
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
This classroom is where Defence Against the Dark Arts class is taught. It is located on the third floor. Although in 1991, ProfessorQuirinus 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.
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.
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.
This room is where the Mirror of Erised was kept from September to December1991 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.
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.
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.
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.
This office was once used by then-Defence Against the Dark ArtsProfessorGalatea Merrythought, it is now used by Horace Slughorn, PotionsMaster. 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.
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.
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.
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.
This bathroom is accesible 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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 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.
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.
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 stairase that leads to the fourth-floor corridor and, by extension, to the Grand Staircase.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 magnificiant 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.
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.
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.
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.
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 NorseHǫggvar 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 movie, 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."
When explaining the concept of Legilimency to Harry Potter, Snape said that many ancient spells and charms gaurd the Hogwarts walls and grounds, ensuring the inhabitants safety.
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 movie were:
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.
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 movie:
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.
modified. It is unknown whether it is still linked to the Viaduct Entrance by the Old Viaduct or the two viaducts are the same.
Viaduct Entrance: The four towers around it have been made bigger. It is unknown whether it is still linked with the Entrance Courtyard by the Old Viaduct or the two Viaducts are the same.
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. The exchange between Harry and Voldemort, during which Voldemort asks "Why do you live?" likely takes place inside one of these towers.
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.
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