Paris

• Type: City, Wizarding Community hub
• Location: France
• Owner/Residents: Nicolas Flamel, Perenelle Flamel, the Lestrange family (historically), various French witches and wizards
• Key Features: Contains the Ministère des Affaires Magiques (the French Ministry of Magic), a hidden magical community, and historical wizarding residences.

Paris, the capital city of France, is a significant location within the European Wizarding World. In the original novels, its primary connection to the story is as the home country of the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, though the school itself is situated in the Pyrenees mountains. The most notable wizarding resident of Paris mentioned in the British magical historical record is the famed alchemist Nicolas Flamel, creator of the Philosopher's Stone. While the original books do not specify his city of residence, it is established in supplemental materials that he and his wife, Perenelle Flamel, lived in Paris for over six hundred years. The city's role in wizarding history is greatly expanded upon for the year 1927, as depicted in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (film, screenplay). During this era, Paris served as a major centre for magical activity. It was the seat of the French wizarding government, the Ministère des Affaires Magiques, and possessed a vibrant, hidden magical community. The entrance to this community was magically concealed behind a statue on the Muggle street, Place de Furstenberg (film). The city was also host to travelling magical attractions, such as the Circus Arcanus, in the late 1920s.

In the main *Harry Potter* series, the significance of Paris is largely indirect. It represents the broader European magical community from which students like Fleur Delacour originate. Albus Dumbledore's friendship with Nicolas Flamel implies a connection to the city, as he was Flamel's long-time associate and the eventual guardian of his Philosopher's Stone. Paris becomes the primary setting for the events of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (film, screenplay). In 1927, the city was the focal point of Gellert Grindelwald's rise to power and Newt Scamander's mission to oppose him. Key events that took place in Paris include:

• Newt Scamander, Tina Goldstein, and Jacob Kowalski searched the city for Credence Barebone.
• Gellert Grindelwald used the city as a base to recruit followers, culminating in a major rally held in an amphitheatre hidden beneath the Père Lachaise Cemetery. This event resulted in the death of Leta Lestrange and saw Queenie Goldstein and Credence Barebone join Grindelwald's cause.
• Nicolas Flamel's home on the Rue de Montmorency served as a safe house for Newt and his allies, and Flamel himself joined the fight to contain Grindelwald's destructive Protego Diabolica spell.
• The Ministère des Affaires Magiques was infiltrated by Tina, Newt, and Leta in an attempt to retrieve documents from the Lestrange family records box.

• Ministère des Affaires Magiques: The French Ministry of Magic, hidden beneath the streets of Paris and characterized by its Art Nouveau-inspired architecture. The ground itself is enchanted to reveal magical patterns. (Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald)
• Nicolas Flamel's House: The ancient home and laboratory of Nicolas Flamel, located at the real-world address of 51 Rue de Montmorency. It functioned as a safe house and contained numerous alchemical tools and a crystal ball used for communication. (Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald)
• Place de Furstenberg: A Muggle square that housed a hidden, statue-based entrance to the Parisian magical world, leading to a street with wizarding shops and establishments. (Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald)
• Père Lachaise Cemetery: A famous Muggle cemetery that also serves as a burial ground for prominent wizarding families, including the Lestrange family. The Lestrange mausoleum was used by Gellert Grindelwald as a gateway to his underground rally. (Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald)
• Circus Arcanus: A travelling magical circus owned by Skender that was temporarily located in Paris in 1927. Its attractions included magical creatures and the Maledictus, Nagini. (Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald)

The decision to feature Nicolas Flamel's house in Paris for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (film) was inspired by history. The real Nicolas Flamel was a 14th-century Parisian scribe who gained a posthumous reputation as an alchemist, and the house featured in the film is based on the real building he commissioned at 51 Rue de Montmorency, which still stands today and is considered the oldest stone house in Paris.