Where are Beauxbatons and Durmstrang?

[daniel4hp]

I would have thought that this would have come up, but I did the search and found nothing...

Victor Krum is from Bulgaria and goes to Durmstrang. However, Durmstrang is described as being northerly, while Bulgaria is in the Balkins (near Greece). Fleur appears to be from France, and, sure enough, Beaux Batons means "Beautiful Wands" in French. Several locations have been mentioned for Beauxbatons, and even more for Durmstrang. The later has been argued to be in Bulgaria, Germany, Scandanavia, and Russia among other places. Beauxbatons is generally thought to be in France, although French is spoken elsewhere.

1. Do you agree that Beauxbatons is in France?

2. Where do you think the most likely place for Durmstrang is?

[JenBluffheid]

1. Yes, I'm positive that Beauxbatons is in France. They have that accent.

2. I'm guessing Norway. Well, at least a Scandanavian country :yup: It's cold there, they would have needed a ship to get to Hogwarts ... and they have the black hair, pale skin - just like Vikings did.

[Tinkie]

I think that France is the most possible location for Beauxbatons although it could easily be Belgium. As far as Durmstrang is concerned, i think it could be in Scandinavia as it was describes as being northernly

[Kneazle]

1. Yes. I've never had any doubts that it's the French School.

2. I'm unsure. Russia is the first place that comes to mind. . . Durmstrang means "storm & stress" in German. Might be Norway or one of those Scandanavian countries. :shrug:

[Cat]

They had very fine robes in Beauxbatons. Now I understand that Madame Maxime might just be a fashion addict but.... which is the warmest francophone country?

[Da da da da da86]

Goodness gracious! How could CoS have lasted this long without this thread?

Beauxbatons: Yes, I think it's in France. Of course, there are other countries in Europe that also speak French to some extent (Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, I believe.), but there are other pieces of evidence. For example, the bouillabaisse, which I believe is native to Provence.

As for Durmstrang, Manyasha can tell you that Polyakoff and Karkaroff are very similar to Russian names, so I think it's in Russia.

[Manyasha]

Yep, Da da, you're right. :D

I've always supposed Beauxbatons is in France.

I think Durmstrang is in nothern Russia, probably near Murmansk.
My points:
1. Nothern Russia perfectly fits the description of the place where Durmstrang is situated: plenty of uninhabited land, very cold, rather uncomfortable conditions of living (so typical for Russia:rolleyes: ).
2. Karkaroff, Polyakoff, Igor and Victor are very typical Russian names. Karkaroff reminds me of ravens (Russian think ravens say "Karr, karr") and Polyakoff means "Polish, from Poland".
3. Krum lives in Bulgaria and he is obviously a foreign student. I assume that Bulgarian parents would send their child to study in Russia then in Sweden, Norway, Germany, etc. You can trust me in these questions, I just don't want to overload my posts with facts that are interesting only to me.

Do not tell me I'm wrong - I can bite!:bite::evil: j/k

[Knight]

Beuaxbatons is definitely in France.

I'd say that Durmstrang is in Russia somewhere, perhaps near Murmansk or even on the island of Novoya Zemlya (assuming they could protect themselves from the multitude of nuclear weapons the Soviets detonated up there). Since Durmstrang would be drawing from more sparsely populated regions it doesn't seem strange that Krum travelled all the way from Bulgaria to get there. Also, it is possible that there is a smaller magical academy in the Balkans region (the Tri-Wizard Tournament was only between the three largest European schools) but because of Krum's talent at Quidditch he was recruited to the larger school.

[Da da da da da86]

I'd say that Durmstrang is in Russia somewhere, perhaps near Murmansk or even on the island of Novoya Zemlya (assuming they could protect themselves from the multitude of nuclear weapons the Soviets detonated up there).

No they didn't. The Soviet government just said they did that so that nosy people wouldn't discover the location of Durmstrang. ;) :sorry:

[daniel4hp]

Someone's moved this thread... well, I suppose its okay. I thought it should be in the Common Room myself--it doesn't really relate to the plot or storyline, but its okay...


1. I think that Beauxbatons is in southern France--the thin robes and the Boulabaise (sp?) both suggest that.

2. Durmstrang... well, probably Russia:
a) Russia is cold enough and can be dark enough
b) Being in eastern Europe, a Bulgarian would be more likely to go there.
c) The name ending "-koff" is Russian
d) The students wore blood red robes--a traditional Russian color (I'm not refering to the communists here...)


I agree with Knight that there are probably other schools, one probably in the Balkins. After all, Hermione read a book about European Schools--it could hardly be about a mere three schools...

[hp_lexicon]

If you're interested, there is quite a detailed page about where various Potter places might be located available here:
http://www.i2k.com/~svderark/lexicon/faq/geography.html
I won't cut and paste from it here, but it does cover Beauxbatons and Durmstrang (along with a nunber of other places).

That's the Harry Potter for Grown Ups FAQ, actually. The references are from the archives of that chat group.

Steve Vander Ark

[Cho Chang]

Note: Thanks for the info Hp_lexicon .. the layout for that page is really NICE!!

I don't know much about France .. but does France SNOW??? Fine silk for a country that snows in the winter????? I always thought Beauxbatons locate closer to the Equator?

I have to agree ... Durmstrang .. is around Russia ... or Germany!!!

[daniel4hp]

Well, it snows in Paris, I believe, but I think when you get into the southern regions near the Mediteranian the chances of its snowing heavily would decrease dramatcly.

[JephReeta]

I'd say France for Beauxbatons and Manyasha makes a good point about the Durmstrangs being in Russia so I'll go with that.

[HogwartsChaplain]

France also has the French Alps, where one of the winter Olympics was held, maybe about ten years ago. So there definitely are parts of France where it snows. In fact, the mountains might be a good place for Beauxbatons to be located.

I agree with Durmstrang being in northern Russia-- I've always thought it was in that area, and the facts Manyasha and others have presented makes a good enough case for me. :yup:

[daniel4hp]

Some people have suggested Andorra, although I'm not exactly sure why except that it is in the mountains (The Pyrenees) and is famous for its Bourban Whisky (in connection with the Single-Malt Whisky of the Beauxbaton horses). It would seem to cold to me, although it is rather off the beaten track... However, Andorra isn't exactly a large country, so would it have enough room for Beauxbatons? Hogwarts and Durmstrang are in secluded areas, but would that be possible in Andorra?

[HogwartsChaplain]

I just did a quick search on Andorra. The official language is Catalan, not French. Only 7% of the population considers their ethnicity French. Since Beauxbatons students speak primarily French, I'd guess the school isn't located in Andorra. But I could be wrong....

[daniel4hp]

The Andorra thing came from that website linked to by HP Lexicon. They way they presented it, it sounded like it was a very likely location. I had my doubts primarily because of size (could there be an area in that small a country that would be so under-populated to hold Beauxbatons?) but based on Evelyn's figures, it would seem unlikely that Beauxbatons is there.

[HogwartsChaplain]

The site I looked at (can you believe that the top site on Andorra is facts from the CIA?) mentioned that Andorra has a pretty high population, given that they have a strong economy and no taxes. That doesn't sound like a place where wizards would want to locate a secret school. (The high population, I mean.)

[dorcasderr]

S0outhern France sounds likely for Beauxbatons and Russia for Durmstrang. Good arguments.

[raeredeyes]

I always got the impression that Durmstrang was in Siberia, or Northern Russia. The names are a giveaway, they're just so Russian.

Im not sure about France, so i cant approximate regions where Beauxbatons is, but i would assume it would be in the south, where it is warmer?

[Fleur]

I always thought that Beauxbatons was in France, and as everyone have said, southern France. Durmstrang( especially from what Manyasha said) is probably in Northern Russia. It seems strange, though, that Durmstrang has a German name.(Mabye a founder was German)

[Da da da da da86]

I don't think the name should have much to do with it... What's Hogwarts mean, anyway?

[HogwartsChaplain]

From the HP Lexicon:
The name "Hogwarts" is the name of a kind of flower. JKR said: "Ideas come from all sorts of places and sometimes I don't realise where I got them from. A friend from London recently asked me if I remembered when we first saw Hogwarts. I had no idea what she was talking about until she recalled the day we went to Kew Gardens and saw those lilies that were called Hogwarts. I'd seen them seven years before and they'd bubbled around in my memory. When Hogwarts occurred to me as a name for the school, I had no idea where it came from." (SMH)
But you probably knew that, and that probably wasn't the focus of your question....

[daniel4hp]

Now I'm wondering about Hogwarts. It seems that Durmstrang serves Eastrn Europe, Russia, and proably Switzerland and Germany. Beaubatons serves France and probably Italy, and maybe even a little bit of Spain. Hogwarts serves the British Isles. These are the three larges schools in Europe, yet Hogwarts seems to cover a small area. Now I could be wrong--maybe Beaubatons only covers southern France, but I always pictured it as the primary French/Mediteranian school. It would seem that since it is the larges in that area it would get students from all of that area. Then Durmstrang, based on its name, has some German influence, but is most likely located in Russia, and apparently gets students from all of eastern Europe (based on Krum). There is probably another school in the Balkins, and another in Germany, but it seems that its influence is pretty wide-spread. Now we come to Hogwarts, which is the only British school (according to JK) and might get some students from the low countries and Western Scandanavia, but appears to have a fairly limmitted area to get students from. How does it compete?

[HogwartsChaplain]

Maybe the percentage of wizards in the general population (muggles + wizards) is higher in the British Isles than in Europe and Russia. The higher the population of wizards, the more need for a school, even if the area it covers is smaller.

[daniel4hp]

Yeah, that could be, but I don't see any reason why a higher percentage of the population in Britian would be wizards compared with Continental Europe...

[Alicia_Potter]

Well, maybe Hogwarts is just a smaller school with really good students and teachers. After all, Daniel, you said that there can't be more than 500 students there, so it really isn't that big.

I agree that Beauxbatons is in southern France and Durmstrang is in Northern Russia.

[HogwartsChaplain]

Or maybe a higher percentage of wizard children in Britain attend a special school (Hogwarts) than in continental Europe. Maybe more wizard children are home-schooled or do correspondence courses in other parts of the world.

[daniel4hp]

Well, I think Evelyn has a point. Since Britian is so small, it would be easier for students to go to Hogwarts than in Continental Europe...

It is true that I don't think that Hogwarts is very big, but if its one of the three largest schools, and can compete with Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, it can't be that much smaller. Lets say it 280, maybe Beauxbatons and Durmstrang have 350--maybe even 400. But remember that Durmstrang has a smaller physical facility than Hogwarts...

[EvilEva]

Here's my theory:

1. Beauxbatons: I do have a strong feeling that this school is located in Paris or near Paris, but not really in the South. It could be that Fleur comes from the South East of France and needs to take the "Beauxbatons Express" to go to school. After all, all the students from Hogwarts seem to come from different areas. I'm not really good in English accents (being French myself), but it seems to me that in the movie, Oliver Wood comes from Scotland and Seamus Finnigan from Ireland, so why not have the same thing for Beauxbatons and (why not?) for Durmstrang> Furthermore, having lived in the South of France for most of my life, I can say that all the best things are in all in Paris... :sigh:

2. I do agree with everyone who says that Durmstrang is in Russia. I may even say that it could be somewhere in the former USSR (it gives us a wider area to look for). Besides the name Karkarof sounds Russian to me.

3. Hogwarts: I would like to see it somewhere in the Highlands as it's a nice place and there wouldn't be so many muggles, which would explain the presence of an entire wizzard village.

Well, these are only some ideas and I might be completely wrong, but still...

[Hagrid442]

1. Beauxbatons is most likely in France. I don't remember if it's located in mountains or not, but there is enough evidence to suggest that it is warm there. Belgium would be right out because its topography is that of rolling plains and small hills. Besides, not sure it's warm enough. Most like it's in a remote location, so Paris and the middle of France are out. The only places that are mountainous and have Mediterranean weather are the Pyrenees and south-eastern France where it borders Italy. I think the latter more likely since it is more centrally located to the area that the school probably takes in. (France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland)

2. Durmstrang is most definitely not in Germany. It's not even German. Sturm and Drang are German, but only Strang which means "cable" is German. I think it more likely that it is in the northern reaches of Scandinavia. Durmstrang, while not German, definitely sounds germanic.

[daniel4hp]

Well, I do think that Durmstrang sounds like its in northern Scandanavia, but there are many things pointing to Russia, so my guess is its up around the Kola Peninsula, which right next to northern Finland (on the Russian side).

Yes, Paris seems to populated for Beauxbatons to me, but its described as an ornate palace, so I would guess its something like a Chateau (sp?), although don't ask me where that would put it in France. But whereever Chateau are common in France, I would guess it would be somewhere in that area. Wait, did the books explicitly state it was in the mountains?

Hogwarts is almost certainly in the Scottish Highlands. The distance of the Hogwarts express and the mention of Haggis, amoung other things, suggest that location. And, of course, thats one of the least populous places in Britian...

[DogStar87]

I'd agree that Durmstrang is somewhere near Bulgaria, Viktor Krum plays for Bulgaria so wouldn't make sense for Durmstrang to be close to Bulgaria as Quidditch players generally play for teams somewhat near their native country?

[daniel4hp]

But where Durmstrang is there is hardly any daylight in the winter, but Bulgaria, located in the Balkins, would surely have plenty of daylight year round...

Perhaps since Krum was a great Quidditch player he decided to go to a bigger school that would have better teams and Durmstrang was the closest large school...

[Cat]

Well, now, this is odd. I'm very proud for finding it out, though. As well as Durmstrang having a German name origin, Viktor Krum does as well! I looked 'Krum' up and and there was 'krumm' in a German dictionary. It means 'slouched' or 'crooked'. Appropriate!

Durmstrang doesn't seem to be in Germany, so why the German?

[daniel4hp]

Maybe it was founded by Germans magicians forced out of Germany for doing magic... as for Krum, why does he live in Bulgaria then? Odd...

[Cat]

Does he? Or does he just play for Bulgaria's national team?

[daniel4hp]

He was said to speak Bulgarian... and you know, the Bulgarian team doesn't seem that good except for him, so it doesn't seem as though he joined it because it was a great team. I'm sure that if he lived in Germany there would be a team there glad to have him...

[Cat]

Oddness. Perhaps the words are from German just to be obscure.

[Hagrid442]

*points to his post* Durmstrang isn't German. I said that it is Germanic however. This means that Durmstrang could very well be Swedish, Norwegian, or Finnish for example.

Durm is close enough to Sturm to be "storm". I don't know whether this is the case though.

[Artichoke]

Originally posted by EvilEva
1. Beauxbatons: I do have a strong feeling that this school is located in Paris or near Paris, but not really in the South. It could be that Fleur comes from the South East of France and needs to take the "Beauxbatons Express" to go to school. After all, all the students from Hogwarts seem to come from different areas. I'm not really good in English accents (being French myself), but it seems to me that in the movie, Oliver Wood comes from Scotland and Seamus Finnigan from Ireland, so why not have the same thing for Beauxbatons and (why not?) for Durmstrang> Furthermore, having lived in the South of France for most of my life, I can say that all the best things are in all in Paris... :sigh:

i've always thought beauxbatons was in paris too
i can't imagine it in a not crowded area like auvergne , fleur propably wouldn't like living there lol hum

as for durmstrang i think it's located at the finnish/russian frontier

[harryton]

1. Do you agree that Beauxbatons is in France?
yes i do.

2. Where do you think the most likely place for Durmstrang is?
Ireland becuase Krum plays for ireland.

[daniel4hp]

Krum plays for Bulgaria, but there is substantial proof that Durmstrang isn't located there.

[doubledotties]

I don't think any school covers just a certain area, because Malfoy had the opportunity to go to Durmstrang (just his mother didn't want him too). Maybe you can choose where you want to go, as long as you're accepted there. It could just be the obvious decision to go to the school in your area, but if Durmstrang is being selective, where would the muggle-borns of Russia (or wherever it is) go to school?

[DogStar87]

I forgot about that, Durmstrang being where there is hardly any daylight. Man, I'd have to say somewhere in Scandanavia would be probable. The name almost sounds Scandanavish... or is it just me? Hmmmm

-Edit- There is also a good amount of daylight it Ireland.

[Cat]

Originally posted by Hagrid442
*points to his post* Durmstrang isn't German. I said that it is Germanic however. This means that Durmstrang could very well be Swedish, Norwegian, or Finnish for example.

Durm is close enough to Sturm to be "storm". I don't know whether this is the case though.

Yes, but it doesn't seem to be anything else either. I've looked. The closest I've found is the reversed 'sturm drang' which is German.

[Hagrid442]

Yeah, I know. I looked as well. It could just be a made-up name. Most likely it's in Scandinavia, though, or maybe on the Finnish-Russian border like Artichoke thinks. Finland is a country of lakes and I think it's mountainous around there.

[Krum]

I imagine Drumstrang somewhere around Ucraine... on the Black Sea... it's pretty cold there during the winter, and at the same time it is close to Bulgaria, and Krum is most certainly Bulgarian because, since I happen to have the same name, I know that Krum, spelled Kpym in Bulgarian is an ancient Bulgarian name, the name of a Bulgarian Khan from about 1000 years ago, who made the first set of written laws for the country, killed a Byzantine Emperor, made a goblet from his skull, and laid siege on Constantinopol, where he was assasinated on the night before the finnal attack which would break through the walls of the capital city of the Byzantine Empire, thus all but destroying it... ;( He was a great man.

So you see Krum has to be Bulgarian, hence he plays for the Bulgarian Team.

It's good that the name Krum finally gets the recognition it deserves.

[Justin Etre]

beauxbatons: france

durmstrang: bulgaria

[Hagrid442]

It's not enough to have Durmstrang in a cold climate. Remember, the winter days are much shorter than they are at Hogwarts. It would have to be north of Scotland, and Ukraine isn't.

[Potterjohn]

Beuxbatons is in.. france id guess. durmstrang is probably somewhere with lots of mountains, and little sunlight. (thats what krum *ble!* said)

[EvilEva]

Originally posted by daniel4hp
Krum plays for Bulgaria, but there is substantial proof that Durmstrang isn't located there.

Why? :??:

[Manyasha]

I imagine Drumstrang somewhere around Ucraine... on the Black Sea... it's pretty cold there during the winter, and at the same time it is close to Bulgaria

No and no and no! Who told you that it's cold in the winter near the Black Sea? :wow: It is subtropical climate there!

Bulgaria doesn't fit the description of the area where Durmstrang is situated.:no:

[Annapurna1]

Beauxbatons: France
Durmstrang: Finland, near the Russian border

[hermownninny]

I just said this in another topic, but I think it goes here...

Beauxbatons: yeah, most definitely in France..

Durmstrang: I agree with the russian theory, but then what will it be the lnaguage for all the students..Russian, German???

I think it could be in Iceland..because well, it is an island and they use a ship...maybe they use it to get to school...like the Hogwarts Express to Hogwarts...

[Manyasha]

Well, if Durmstrang is in Russia, then the language is obviously Russian. The only question is why the school is called Durmstrang, a German word. Maybe JK couldn't think of any Russian name.:??:

[hermownninny]

If the language is Russian..everyone must speak Russian for the classes...Well, maybe Krum knows Russian....:)

I still think it is in Iceland or some small island over there:eyebrows:

[Ashkins]

We know its in a place that is VERY cold all the time. Krum did take a swim in the lake in the middle of winter after all.

[persian85033]

Where is Durmstrang? Hermione said that it was in the far north judging from what Viktor said about there not being much sunlight north of the tropic, but Viktor Krum attends it and he's from Bulgaria which is in southern Europe.. The students there also seem to speak kind of like with a German accent. So then where is Durmstrang? In what country, or region? In Scandanavia, the Balkans, or central Europe? Any thoughts? Suggestions?

[NorthStar]

Well, the only other student from Durmstrang who was mentioned by name (Poliakoff) and the Headmaster himself (Karkaroff) seem to have Russian-influenced names. I always assumed it was somewhere in or near Russia.

Hermione says on the train that no-one knows where Durmstrang is exactly, and Karkaroff seems to be very leery of letting anyone know where his school is situated. Perhaps we'll never know.

[vagos]

I always assumed it was in Russia(or somewhere near),too,because of the -off names and the fact that they were furrs and Hermione herself said that it is probably somewhere north.

[HannahStarr]

Well, no ones knows exactly where it is, although I always assumed it was Russia. It would have to be someone north, though, because of the furs in the uniforms and their accents.

[Alastor D]

Actually this has been discussed at lenght before. I'm too lazy to try a search for the moment.
The facts that there is very little daylight in winter and there are hills and lakes and it seems not to be anywhere in 'western' Europe make me quess that it might be on or near the Kola peninsula which is in the Russian part of Fennoscandia.

[rotsiepots]

I've merged this thread with an existing topic. :)

I believe it's a popular theory that Durmstrang is in Latvia somewhere.

There's an interesting article from the HP4GU site on the location of Durmstrang here (http://www.hpfgu.org.uk/faq/geography.html#Durmstrang).

[Alastor D]

I've merged this thread with an existing topic. :)

I believe it's a popular theory that Durmstrang is in Latvia somewhere.

There's an interesting article from the HP4GU site on the location of Durmstrang here (http://www.hpfgu.org.uk/faq/geography.html#Durmstrang).

Forgive me for repeating my old argument. But HP4GU missed the most obvious CON. Latvia is not located at a higher latitude than Scotland. There certainly isn't less daylight in winter than at Hogwarts. We need to go much farther north to find considerably shorter day lenghts in winter. :D

[Feye]

I think Beaux Bateaux is in france.

as for Durmstrang... Krum did say something about it. Mountains, lakes... hmm... sounds like Switzerland, don't mind me. well, I s'pose it's somewhere around the places everyone supposes...

but ever wondered whether places like Brazil or asia have magic schools? or is it just that part of the world?

[AndreasH]

Durmstrang means "storm & stress" in German.


To all

Please stop claiming that Durmstrang is a German word. It clearly is not.

However, there is a period in German literacy (when Schiller wrote his plays) that was called "Sturm und Drang" which translates to "storm and stress". So clearly JK was influenced by this perido when she made up the word Durmstrang hinting something about the character of this school and its people.

Regards
Andreas

[Jenni The Hurja]

1. I always thought it was in France.
2. Hmmm... How are the students described? Someone said they are described as having dark hair and pale skin, which hardly sounds like they're Scandinavian (most people are blond here). I'm quite certain it's not in Finland since the names don't sound Finnish at all (nor do they sound Swedish) and Finland isn't very mountainous (Norway's much more). BUT there are some arctic hills in Northern Finland and thousands of lakes throughout the country.

In order to find a place where there's very little daylight during winter, the only countries Durmstrang could be located in are Norway/Sweden/Finland (the Northern parts) and Russia. I'd go for Russia, somewhere near the Finnish border perhaps?

EDIT: Oops, I forgot Iceland is possible as well.

[Alastor D]

In order to find a place where there's very little daylight during winter, the only countries Durmstrang could be located in are Norway/Sweden/Finland (the Northern parts) and Russia. I'd go for Russia, somewhere near the Finnish border perhaps?


I'm glad to see someone finlally supporting my idea. The place needs, or so I belive, also to be very much uninhabited. That too fits those parts of Russia east of Northern Finland. There seems to be enough hills and lakes south of Murmansk.
As for the Durmstrang castle, I like to think it looks like Olavinlinna in Finland. But it's too near a muggle city. :D

[Jenni The Hurja]

As for the Durmstrang castle, I like to think it looks like Olavinlinna in Finland. But it's too near a muggle city.
Ahhh! Olavinlinna (or Olavi's castle :D ) is gorgeous.

[Azura's_Heir]

Beauxbatons is in France.

The first time I read Goblet of fire I assumed that Durmstrang was in Russia. It wasn't untill my secon or third time that I realized that it might not be because after all Viktor was playing on the Bulgairian team. though Viktor Krum sounds like a German name.
I definately think that it is somewhere in the eastern euprean area. If not Russia then probably scandinavia as the students are described as having fur cloaks. But that's just my idea.

[[Pretty]_[Unicorn]]

Definately France for the Beauxbatons and I get the feeling Siberia for Durmstrang. They say it is very cold and uninhabitable and what better place to fit the description than tropical Siberia.

[Alastor D]

Krum is a Bulgarian name and Viktor is Bulgarian. But the daylight thing rules out Bulgaria as the place for that school.
And Central Siberia may fit, but I don't see any reason to go that far when there are suitable places in the European part of Russia.
It's also possible that JKR never thought of any particular area - just put it far enough.

Edit: For the name Krum, look here
http://www28.brinkster.com/sherbetlemon/main.html

[fruitia pickleweed]

I'd like to throw out Lapland as a possibility.

It is the northernmost part of Finland and has the Midnight Sun in summer. It is thinly occupied (native people, the Lapps, are reindeer herders) and historically was known for shamans and witches.

Also, it was occupied by Germany in WWII (time of the dark wizard Grindelwald).

[Harry'sHoney]

Beauxbatons is in Luxembourg. Durmstrang is in Romania.

[Alastor D]

I'd like to throw out Lapland as a possibility.

It is the northernmost part of Finland and has the Midnight Sun in summer. It is thinly occupied (native people, the Lapps, are reindeer herders) and historically was known for shamans and witches.

Also, it was occupied by Germany in WWII (time of the dark wizard Grindelwald).

Well aware of that this 'occupied' thing belongs in the History Corner, not here, I allow myself a comment.
The Finnish Lapland was never exactly occupied. The German troups were let in because both countries had the same enemy. But then one of the Russian conditions for pease was, that the German troups should be thrown out. Only then the violence against civilians and destroyment of everything started.

And Harry'sHoney, Romania unfortunately has more daylight in winter than Scotland. :D

[fruitia pickleweed]

The Finnish Lapland was never exactly occupied. The German troups were let in because both countries had the same enemy. But then one of the Russian conditions for pease was, that the German troups should be thrown out. Only then the violence against civilians and destroyment of everything started.
:D

I stand corrected, that was news to me.

[Jill]

Beauxbatons is French and based around the Frances culture so it would suggest that this school is in France.

I also thought that Durmstrang was a german word. So I guess the school is situated in Germany.