======Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry======
=====Location Information=====
  * **Type:** [[Wizarding School]]
  * **Location:** Scottish Highlands, [[Scotland]]
  * **Owner/Residents:** Founded by [[Godric Gryffindor]], [[Helga Hufflepuff]], [[Rowena Ravenclaw]], and [[Salazar Slytherin]]. Subsequently managed by a Board of Governors and a series of [[Headmaster|Headmasters]] and [[Headmistress|Headmistresses]], including [[Albus Dumbledore]] and [[Minerva McGonagall]]. Its residents include staff, students, [[House-elf|house-elves]], numerous [[Ghost|ghosts]] (such as [[Nearly Headless Nick]] and the [[Bloody Baron]]), and [[Peeves]] the [[Poltergeist]].
  * **Key Features:** A vast, seven-story stone castle protected by numerous powerful [[Enchantment|enchantments]]. The castle and its grounds are [[Unplottable]], making them impossible to locate on a [[Muggle]] map. To any [[Muggle]] who might stumble upon it, the castle appears to be an old, mouldering ruin with a "Keep Out: Dangerous" sign. Its interior is famous for its one hundred and forty-two ever-changing staircases, talking [[Portrait|portraits]], and enchanted ceilings.
=====Description and History=====
**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry** is the premier British school of [[Magic]], and is considered to be one of the finest magical institutions in the wizarding world. Founded over a thousand years ago, circa 993 A.D., by the four greatest witches and wizards of the age: [[Godric Gryffindor]], [[Helga Hufflepuff]], [[Rowena Ravenclaw]], and [[Salazar Slytherin]]. They built the castle together, far from prying [[Muggle]] eyes, with the shared dream of creating a safe haven where young magical individuals could be educated. Each founder established one of the four [[Hogwarts Houses]], valuing different virtues in the students they selected.
A fundamental disagreement eventually arose between [[Salazar Slytherin]] and the other three founders. Slytherin believed that magical education should be restricted to those of pure-blood lineage, a view the others did not share. This conflict led to Slytherin's departure from the school. Before leaving, he secretly constructed the [[Chamber of Secrets]] deep within the castle, housing a [[Basilisk]] intended to one day purge the school of [[Muggle-born]] students.
For centuries, [[Hogwarts]] served as a bastion of magical learning and was often regarded as the safest place in the wizarding world, particularly under the headmastership of [[Albus Dumbledore]]. The school's motto is //Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus//, a Latin phrase meaning "Never Tickle a Sleeping Dragon."
=====Role in the Story=====
[[Hogwarts]] is the primary setting for the first six novels of the series and the location of the final climactic battle in the seventh. For [[Harry Potter]], the school represents his first true home and a place of belonging, standing in stark contrast to his life with the [[Dursley|Dursleys]]. It is where he discovers the truth about his past, forges his most important relationships with [[Ron Weasley]] and [[Hermione Granger]], and receives his magical education.
The castle is the site of numerous pivotal events, including Harry's confrontation with [[Professor Quirrell]] for the [[Philosopher's Stone]], the re-opening of the [[Chamber of Secrets]], the hosting of the [[Triwizard Tournament]], the formation of [[Dumbledore's Army]] to oppose [[Dolores Umbridge]], and the tragic death of [[Albus Dumbledore]]. The final installment sees the school fall under the control of [[Lord Voldemort]]'s followers, with [[Severus Snape]] as [[Headmaster]], before it becomes the battlefield for the [[Battle of Hogwarts]], resulting in Voldemort's ultimate defeat.
=====Known Areas Within=====
The castle and its grounds contain countless rooms, corridors, and secret passages. Notable areas include:
  * **Castle Interior:**
    * [[Entrance Hall]]
    * [[Great Hall]]
    * [[Grand Staircase]]
    * [[Hogwarts Houses|House]] [[Common Room|Common Rooms]] and Dormitories ([[Gryffindor Tower]], [[Slytherin Dungeon]], [[Ravenclaw Tower]], [[Hufflepuff Basement]])
    * [[Headmaster's Office]]
    * [[Hospital Wing]]
    * [[Library]] (including the [[Restricted Section]])
    * [[Room of Requirement]]
    * [[Chamber of Secrets]]
    * [[Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom]]
    * [[Classroom|Classrooms]] (e.g., [[Defence Against the Dark Arts Classroom]], [[Potions Classroom]], [[Transfiguration Classroom]], [[Charms Classroom]], [[History of Magic Classroom]])
    * [[Astronomy Tower]]
    * [[Owlery]]
    * [[Kitchens]]
    * [[Filch's Office]]
  * **Grounds:**
    * [[Forbidden Forest]]
    * [[Great Lake]] (or Black Lake)
    * [[Hagrid's Hut]]
    * [[Quidditch Pitch]]
    * The [[Whomping Willow]]
    * Greenhouses
=====Behind the Scenes=====
  * J.K. Rowling has stated that she envisions [[Hogwarts]] as being located in a remote mountainous region of [[Scotland]] (J.K. Rowling interview).
  * The school's motto, //Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus//, was created by Rowling because she wanted a practical and memorable slogan, unlike those of many real-world schools (J.K. Rowling interview).
  * In the film adaptations, Alnwick Castle in Northumberland and Christ Church College, Oxford, were among the locations used for exterior and interior shots of [[Hogwarts]] (film).
  * According to Pottermore, the plumbing at [[Hogwarts]] became more elaborate in the eighteenth century. This is how the entrance to the [[Chamber of Secrets]] came to be concealed within a bathroom (Pottermore).