Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

• Type: School of Magic
• Location: Scotland (J.K. Rowling interview)
• Owner/Residents: Officially overseen by a Board of Governors. Run by a Headmaster or Headmistress (e.g., Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, Severus Snape). Populated by staff, students, and resident ghosts, including the four House ghosts: Nearly Headless Nick, the Bloody Baron, the Grey Lady, and the Fat Friar.
• Key Features: A vast, seven-story castle situated in a mountainous region, protected by numerous powerful enchantments. The school and its grounds are Unplottable. To Muggles, it appears as a derelict ruin with a “Keep Out: Dangerous” sign. Its most famous architectural features include its one hundred and forty-two moving staircases, trick steps, sentient portraits, and the enchanted ceiling of the Great Hall.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was founded over a thousand years ago by four of the greatest witches and wizards of the age: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. They established the four Hogwarts Houses in their names, each valuing different virtues in their students. For a time, the founders worked together in harmony, but a rift grew between Salazar Slytherin and the others. Slytherin believed that magical education should be restricted to those of pure-blood lineage and left the school after a bitter conflict. Before leaving, he secretly built the Chamber of Secrets within the castle, hoping his heir would one day use the Basilisk within to purge the school of Muggle-borns. The castle itself is an imposing magical structure with numerous towers and turrets. Its interior is famously complex and confusing, with staircases that lead to different places on different days and doors that only open when addressed politely or tickled in the right spot. The extensive grounds surrounding the castle include the vast Black Lake, the dense Forbidden Forest, numerous greenhouses for Herbology, a Quidditch Pitch, and the Owlery. The school's motto is Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus, which is Latin for “Never Tickle a Sleeping Dragon.”

Hogwarts serves as the primary setting for the first six books of the series and is the site of the final climactic battle. For Harry Potter, the school is the first place he ever truly felt at home. It is where he forges his most important relationships, including his friendships with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, and develops his magical abilities under the tutelage of professors like Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall. Throughout the series, Hogwarts is central to Lord Voldemort's plans and the wizarding world's resistance against him.

• In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the school is the hiding place for the Philosopher's Stone, and Harry confronts Professor Quirrell and Voldemort in its underground chambers.
• In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the legendary Chamber of Secrets is reopened, and Harry must battle the Basilisk to save the school.
• In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the school is guarded by Dementors from Azkaban as Sirius Black is believed to be targeting Harry.
• In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Hogwarts hosts the Triwizard Tournament, an event manipulated by Barty Crouch Jr. to orchestrate Voldemort's return.
• In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the Ministry of Magic interferes directly at Hogwarts through Dolores Umbridge, leading to the formation of Dumbledore's Army.
• In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the school's defenses are breached by Death Eaters, culminating in the death of Albus Dumbledore in the Astronomy Tower.
• In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Hogwarts falls under the control of Voldemort's regime, with Severus Snape as Headmaster. It becomes the site of the final conflict, the Battle of Hogwarts, where Harry and his allies make their last stand, ultimately defeating Voldemort.

• The Great Hall
• The Four House Common Rooms: Gryffindor Tower, Slytherin Dungeon, Ravenclaw Tower, and the Hufflepuff Basement.
• Headmaster's Office
• Hospital Wing
• Library
• Room of Requirement
• Chamber of Secrets
• Astronomy Tower
• Owlery
• Kitchens
• Dungeons (including the Potions classroom)
• Various Classrooms (for Charms, Transfiguration, Defence Against the Dark Arts, etc.)
• The Grounds:
  • Forbidden Forest
  • The Black Lake
  • Hagrid's Hut
  • Whomping Willow
  • Quidditch Pitch
  • Greenhouses

• J.K. Rowling has confirmed in interviews that Hogwarts is a boarding school located in a remote part of Scotland. (J.K. Rowling interview)
• According to information released on Pottermore, Rowena Ravenclaw is credited with devising the ever-changing floor plan of the castle. The school's rudimentary plumbing system was magically retrofitted in the eighteenth century, which required altering the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets, moving it to a new girls' bathroom. (Pottermore)
• In the film adaptations, the exterior shots and design of Hogwarts were a composite of several real-life locations, including Alnwick Castle and Durham Cathedral, and extensive CGI and physical models. Interior scenes were often filmed at locations like Gloucester Cathedral and Lacock Abbey. (film)