Durmstrang Institute came to participate in the Triwizard Tournament on #7September! 😂
150Durmstrang is known for its acceptance of the Dark Arts and for having educated—and later expelled—Gellert Grindelwald before his rise as a Dark wizard. Former Headmaster Igor Karkaroff served Lord Voldemort as a Death Eater, but managed to escape Azkaban prison by giving the Ministry of Magic the names of his co-conspirators. Lucius Malfoy, another Death Eater, considered sending his son Draco to Durmstrang, but his wife disliked the idea of sending her son to study so far away.
Durmstrang does not admit Muggle-borns, but certain students may not necessarily share this prejudice—in 1994, Viktor Krum attended the Yule Ball with Hermione Granger, who is Muggle-born and would not have been admitted to his school.
Durmstrang, like Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, is a castle, though not as large as Hogwarts. The castle has only four floors, and the fireplaces are only lit for magical purposes. It has very extensive grounds and is surrounded by lakes and mountains. Furthermore, the school is inaccessible; Durmstrang, like other schools, likes to hide its whereabouts so that other schools cannot steal its secrets. The institute is said to be in the northernmost regions of Norway or Sweden. Its arrival at Hogwarts by ship implies that Durmstrang is somewhere by the sea or near a river or lake.
Durmstrang was founded sometime during the Middle Ages by the great medieval Bulgarian witch Nerida Vulchanova, who served as the school's first headmistress. Her mysterious death by Professor Harfang Munter established Durmstrang's reputation for emphasizing martial magic as an impressive part of its curriculum.
In 1294, the Triwizard Tournament was formed as a friendly competition between the Institute, Hogwarts School, and Beauxbatons Academy. But in 1792, a cockatrice went on a rampage and injured the headmasters of all the schools. The Triwizard Tournament was suspended indefinitely, only to be reinstated in 1994.
In 1894, Gellert Grindelwald was accepted into Durmstrang Institute. Although the school is inclined towards the Dark Arts, Grindelwald's experiments with Dark magic were deemed too dangerous for the students. After a while, even Durmstrang could not ignore Grindelwald's dangerous studies and expelled him. Before being expelled, he carved the calling card of his obsession, the mark of the Deathly Hallows, into a wall of the school, which remained there long after his defeat. Some students copied the mark on their books and backpacks to impress others, but were "taught a lesson" (presumably in retribution) by those who lost family members to Grindelwald.
Sometime after 1981, Igor Karkaroff, after being acquitted as a Death Eater for betraying information to the British Ministry of Magic, rose to become Headmaster of Durmstrang and became immensely unpopular in that position, having several students removed from the school by their parents for his cruelty. He insisted on an environment governed by fear and intimidation of his students, leading many to view him as selfish and unprincipled. During his time as school administrator, some students copied Grindelwald's symbol on their books and bags to impress others, but were "taught a lesson" (presumably in retribution) by those who lost family members to Grindelwald.