Continental Europe

• Type: Geographic and political region
• Location: The mainland of the continent of Europe, excluding the British Isles
• Owner/Residents: Various independent wizarding communities and governments, notable individuals include Gellert Grindelwald, Nicolas Flamel, Fleur Delacour, Viktor Krum, and Igor Karkaroff
• Key Features: Home to major wizarding schools such as Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and the Durmstrang Institute; various magical creature habitats including a Romanian Dragon Sanctuary; site of significant historical events like Grindelwald's reign of terror.

In the wizarding world, Continental Europe comprises a diverse collection of magical communities, each with its own Ministry of Magic or equivalent governing body, culture, and history, often existing in parallel to their Muggle counterparts. While much of the Harry Potter series focuses on events within Great Britain, the continent plays a crucial background and historical role, representing a broader and sometimes differing magical society. The most significant historical event associated with Continental Europe in the 20th century was the rise of the Dark Wizard Gellert Grindelwald. Educated at Durmstrang, Grindelwald's campaign of terror and vision for wizarding supremacy affected the entire continent long before Lord Voldemort's first rise to power in Britain. His influence culminated in a legendary duel in 1945, where he was defeated by his former friend, Albus Dumbledore. The continent is also home to at least two of the three largest wizarding schools in Europe: Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, located in France, and the Durmstrang Institute, located in the far north. These schools cater to students from numerous countries and exhibit different educational philosophies compared to Hogwarts, with Durmstrang being notorious for its tolerance and teaching of the Dark Arts.

Continental Europe is the setting for several key plot points and character backstories throughout the series.

• In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the immortal alchemist Nicolas Flamel is identified as a resident of France. After his harrowing year, Professor Quirrell mentions a trip to the Black Forest in Germany and a formative, terrifying encounter in an Albanian forest. Later, Rubeus Hagrid arranges for the dragon Norbert to be transported to a dragon sanctuary in Romania, where Charlie Weasley works.
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire features the continent most prominently. The revival of the Triwizard Tournament brings students and staff from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang to Hogwarts. This introduces key continental characters such as Fleur Delacour from France and the world-famous Quidditch Seeker Viktor Krum from Bulgaria. The Quidditch World Cup also features the Bulgarian National Quidditch Team and their Veela mascots.
• In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Dumbledore reveals that his search for Voldemort's past led him to an Albanian pub. More importantly, it is established that after his first defeat, a weakened and bodiless Lord Voldemort fled to the forests of Albania, a remote location where he possessed small animals to survive.
• In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the history of Gellert Grindelwald is fully explored. His theft of the Elder Wand from Gregorovitch, his reign across Europe, the creation of his prison Nurmengard, and his final defeat are all central to the history of the Deathly Hallows. It is also confirmed that Helena Ravenclaw stole her mother's diadem and hid it in a hollow tree in an Albanian forest, the same region where Voldemort would later take refuge and turn the object into a Horcrux.

• Albania: A remote country with desolate forests. It served as a hiding place for a bodiless Lord Voldemort for over a decade and was the location where Helena Ravenclaw originally hid her mother's diadem. Bertha Jorkins was lured and murdered here by Peter Pettigrew on Voldemort's orders.
• Bulgaria: The home country of Durmstrang student and international Quidditch star Viktor Krum. Its national team competed in the 1994 Quidditch World Cup final against Ireland.
• France: Home to the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, the Delacour family, and the famed alchemist Nicolas Flamel.
• Germany: The Black Forest within Germany is mentioned by Professor Quirrell as a place he visited during his travels.
• Nurmengard: A wizarding prison built by Gellert Grindelwald to house his opponents. After his defeat in 1945, Grindelwald himself became its sole prisoner until he was killed by Lord Voldemort. Its exact location is secret, but it is located somewhere in Continental Europe.
• Romania: The location of a large Romanian Dragon Sanctuary where Charlie Weasley works and studies dragons.
• The Pyrenees: The mountain range on the border of France and Spain where Beauxbatons Academy of Magic is said to be located (Pottermore).

• J.K. Rowling has confirmed that the timeline of Gellert Grindelwald's rise and his 1945 defeat by Dumbledore was a deliberate magical parallel to the events of World War II in Muggle Europe.
• The Pottermore/Wizarding World website expands on the catchment areas for the continental schools. Beauxbatons accepts students from France, Spain, Portugal, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Durmstrang's student body is more international and its location is one of the most secretive of all wizarding schools (Pottermore).
• The Fantastic Beasts film series delves deeply into Grindelwald's activities across Continental Europe, with major events taking place in Paris, France, and Berlin, Germany (film).