Is Hogwarts from Harry Potter really a CASTLE? 

"Most wizards don't have one lick of logic."-Hermione Granger

I knew shad was a nerd, but a 3-d model of a fake castle made by referencing pictures made from different angles, all to find out whether or not the castle is actually a castle or not. I think it is safe to say now that shad is the king of the nerds, geez. Not to mention he made a 20 minute video with 1 mid-roll ad, so he really did this almost purely to talk about whether or not its a castle. What a legend XD

Shad at Hogwarts Teacher "Cast the best defensive spell you know" Shad "Expecto-MACHICLOLATIOOOOOOONS!"

When I went to the Harry Potter studios in London, I spoke to one of the staff there that told me something quite cool about the architecture. When designing the school, they wanted to make sure it also showed a history. When you look at the statue of the Architect of Hogwarts he is holding only the great hall and main large tower and the reason for this is not because they couldn't fit the rest on, its because that's all that was originally there. The school was originally only the large tower which housed the 4 houses and classrooms. The great hall was the main dinning area but above it was apparently rooms where the teachers stayed. They didn't have many students when the school started but the only access to the castle was through the boat house. Over time of course the castle was expanded by the 4 founders of hogwarts and that is why the large tower sits right in the middle of all the connecting points, because that is where they expanded from. I found this to be awesome and explained a lot about why such a large tower would have been built. I don't know if you would find this helpful but I loved it.

One explanation I would come up with is that Hogwarts was once a castle but over the centuries was gradually extended and repurposed into a school/university. This would also explain some of the differences in architectural styles. Some areas like the great hall, that church-like building and the bridges were added later on in another era without considering defensive needs.

If Hogwarts was properly fortified, Fred might still be alive.

The response to all the physics defying parts of Hogwarts: A wizard did it.

"Let's build a gatehouse here" "But Sir, fifty meters to the right there is a big hole in the wall, wouldn,t it make sense to build the gatehouse there?" "I said I wan't it here!" "As you wish Sir, do you wish to close the gap aswell?" "No, why would I?"

the work on the model alone deserves a like!

Spending a week making a 3D model of a fantasy castle just so you can rip it apart? I applaud your nerdiness.

There *is* a gatehouse at Hogwarts. It's just down by the school gates at the end of the driveway. I don't think it was ever shown on screen though.

The point around 12 minutes where it's stated that some of the design of Hogwarts was probably deliberately done just to show what magic could do is extremely likely. From what I remember, the Burrow itself is described as a place that could only structurally exist because magic keeps it together and the Quidditch World Cup had numerous magical tents that were just insanely impractical on the outside just because magic could have it that way. There's a very real sense in the Harry Potter world that people who design things with magic have almost no understanding of how the same thing is designed using physics.

I'm almost literally dying when I have to make a sandwhich, while Shad made a full 3D modell of Hogwarts after hours of research, and animated it. Now THIS is dedication! I love this channel!

New shirt idea for you, Shad: "WHERE'S THE GATE HOUSE?!"

"What is holding all these towers up?" Magic, most likely.

Architecturally, I’ve always considered Hogwarts to be analogous to a medieval abbey rather than a castle. In the descriptions in the books, the castle is surrounded by a lake, and the entry point is a small harbor underneath the castle. Also, Hogwarts is designed to be defended against wizards and witches. They have an ability that makes walls moot as a defense in that they can get on their broomsticks and fly over the walls. People can be lifted over the walls with the Levicorpus charm, objects can be sent over the walls using Wingardium Leviosa. The “walls” of Hogwarts are a series of defensive charms and spells. For example, the castle is unplottable on a map, and if muggles did stumble upon it, they would see a mouldering ruin. Hogwarts was invaded because when the Ministry of Magic fell to Voldemort’s allies, Hoqwarts became a center of resistance. The new, Voldemort controlled MoM installed Severus Snape as Headmaster with a cadre of rabid Voldemort supporters in key faculty and staff positions. They acted as the traitor within the gates.

in the german language there are to different words for that „burg“=castel with defense and „schloss“=castel what looks good, in the german version of the books they always say schloss

Damn, building that 3d model has got to have been difficult. The castle's layout in the movies always annoyed me, it mande no sense! Like, where the fuck is the forbbiden forest? I just now thanks to this video found out where the great hall even was! I applaud the effort you put into this video.

I'd defend the bridges simply by saying "they were put in at later dates when the castle no longer neeeded to be a fully defensible construct

Someone in my study class baked a hogwarts cake. I can absolutely say the defense was low.

One month ago: "Gee, this video on Skingraad surely was cool, I wonder if there's a video about Hogwarts... Hm, no." Me right now: "GOD ALMIGHTY I'VE BEEN BLESSED"

My theory is that Hogwarts was built up over the centuries, from the X till perhaps the XV century, and buildings were added here there and all over the place, with towers added to connect them and the turrets to create extra space. Over the centuries what was once an actual castle became "fancier" as perhaps the need to actually make it defensible decreased. Indeed it would seem that up to Voldemort's assault, Hogwarts had not seen battle in many many centuries, which explains why no one bothered with gatehouses. The first builders however did care, as one could say the older more fortress like parts do indeed have a whiff of early medieval architecture and were meant to protect the school, later on the added that magnificent cathedral like building with a cloister, and then little pieces and towers over the centuries. So yeah, it was once a castle proper, but seeing no need for more defense, the castle turned into just a very fancy magick-medieval contraption.

EA Games "The Half Blood Prince" did an excellent fleshing out Hogwarts. You can walk around almost everywhere. Great details

If there was ever a time to ask yourselves: But what about dragons? Then this was it :D

You get a like just because of the 3D model you made.

12:10 In the books, it is all but explicitly stated that magic can hold up plenty of otherwise physically impossible buildings. For example, in the second book Harry notes the Weasley's crazy house looks like it is being held up by magic, then he immediately realizes that it probably is being held up by magic rather than proper structural supports.

Those towers are too big and heavy but some smart ars said Wingardium Leviosa and they stayed ever since.

You really get a sense in the the prisoner of azkaban movie that it becomes castle in the scene where dumbledore asks the gates to be closed when he hears the news Sirius black might be at Hogwarts. I always thought that was a really cool part of the movie.

When it comes to Harry Potter there's often a perfectly logical explanation for things. Admittedly the explanation is very often "A wizard did it".

Hogwarts is a magic castle, so while it's build to defend the inhabitants, that defence comes from magical protection rather than from the way the castle is built. But yeah, many of the buildings in Harry Potter, like the Burrow, are architecturally impossible. If you look at models of the castle based on descriptions in the books, it looks far more like a proper medieval castle than the movie version does. Though I guess that wouldn't look as impressive and fantastical. Generally, the movies put beautiful visuals over common sense.

You got my like at: "...I built a full 3D-model of Hogwards..." Also other videos I've seen till now are of excellent quality. As civil engineer I can also appreciate the technical view on things like can it actually be built and is it practical, but also the historical angle is quite interesting. Consider yourself one regular viewer richer!

It was reałly mentioned in the first book that without magic Hogwarts coudnt stand

Seems more like an old more basic castle that lost its function, was repurposed and expended in a cathedral style.

How much would it cost to build a castle from scratch? Would modern safety codes even allow many of the iconic details to be built? How might modern building techniques be used to do things that would have been impossible in the medieval period (e.g. cranes being used to move material instead of human labor)? And if you had an unlimited budget, what would be an ideal layout for you if you were preparing for a post-apocalypse scenario (assume no gunpowder to defend against, since that's what made castle obsolete in the first place).

All architectural questions can be answered with a single quote from Dynasty Warriors: «Feel the power of my MAAAGIC!»

There is one thing that needs to be remembered when looking at the impossible parts of this castle. Magic.

That would be hilarious, if Voldemort's army lost the battle for Hogwarts only because it was built like a proper castle XD

That 3D model transition was awesome! :o

As someone who came from a non-english speaking background I find it interesting that in English the term Castle is an umbrella term - ie non-defensive, or Chateux style structure vs fortress style defensive structures. In Czech and probably other languages we have Hrad (or Grad which originates from Proto-Slavic gord as in Leningrad etc, originally meaning settlement or enclosed place rather like Burg) but it specifically refers to defensive type fortress. There is also Zamek (originating from "lock or keep" but specifically refers to non-defensive as in Manor House, Palace, Chateaux, like the German Schloss). So in Czech one would not use these interchangeably, usually it is one or the other. So many of these Fantasy type castles are designed by North Americans who don't really have the experience with European castles. Thanks for your videos, they're quite informative.

Yeah, but can you use a wand for offensive magic through the MACHICOLATIONS?

I think the Hogwarts castle, in the fictional world of Harry Potter, has changed over the years like any other building that has been around for centuries. The castle, in past, was likely to contain many physical fortifications to protect it from muggle invaders. After the renaissance, the need for real fortifications became unnecessary as simply casting a cloaking spell to make the place look like runes was enough to keep muggles away and these former parts to the castle were either torn off or have become ruins. An example of ruins would be that wall in the back that you mentioned has two gatehouses with an empty space between them. In more recent times, renovations to the castle focuses on aesthetic and magical protection over in realistic design.

There’s a 3D map of Hogwarts on Pottermore that you could’ve used to avoid having to make a model.

Welp, it's Rowena Ravenclaw's fault, she made the structure of the castle

This is one of the most interesting videos I ever saw on RU-vid. Great content!

I have the idea that the medieval portion of Hogwarts was the original castle, and after turning it into a school, they maybe had added on the Gothic portion. Maybe to add that, they tore down some of the medieval portion? As far as defenses, Hopefully no one is attacking a school in its early days, and I think that the wooden bridge runs over an old moat. Just a thought.

Shad sounds just like Cicero from Skyrim when he is yelling. And the video was awesome, as always.

“The gate houses are invisible filled with glyphs of warding.” Jk rolling

"Protego Maxima. Fianto Duri. Repello Inimicum." -Hogwarts castle is magically fortified there goes the castle wall and barrier

The lack of proper gatehouses could be possibly attributed to later modifications; if they had been considered obsolete, they might have been demolished.

Posters!? Castle poster!? Shad, why do you do this to me? I have to eat too!

Fun video! I enjoy this channel so much. Honestly I was not surprised this one did not work as a castle. Very cool estethically.

hey man, i'm an architect and i work regularly with sketcup and other 3d modeling softwares. Just dropped in to congratulate you on the modelling. Great job!

I love these castle series

In the last book the author mentions the magic defenses that surrond Hogwarts. They have all the bells and whisltes : forcefield, no teleporting in and out, no fly zone. Dumbledore had to turn everything off to come back himself, which allowed the Voldemort to launch his big assault. So if your magic defeses are a all or nothing thing, it would indeed make sense to have more regular defenses just in case the magic defenses fail.

Just started watching your channel. Love your attention to detail.

The amount of effort and detail you put into your videos is astounding! Great vid, man👍

I was always confused about Hogwarts from the movies and the Hogwarts that is in the books. For one I do not remember any mention of Hogwarts built on a cliff. I remember that there was the Black Lake and Forbidden Forest. Both of which kids could get to without going through some gate. In fact much of the books make it sounds like Hogwarts and Hogsmede are in some valley as it never describes any crevasses but sounds like flat ground save for mountains in the background.But I swear that THERE WAS A GATE! Hagrid was keeper of the keys and acted like a gate keeper. Wasn't there a scene in the books where he needed to go to the gate to let someone into the Hogwarts Grounds? We know that some alterations has been done over time, as that's how its explained how the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is now in a girl's bathroom on the 2nd floor. Rowling explained on Pottermore="However, when Hogwarts’ plumbing became more elaborate in the 18th Century, the entrance to the Chamber was threatened, and was located on the site of a Proposed Bathroom. The presence in school at the time of a student called Corvinus Gaunt - who was a direct descendant of Slytherin -explained how the simple trapdoor was secretly protected, so that those who knew how could still access the entrance to the Chamber even after the newfangled plumbing had been placed on top of it"So remodeling has been done to Hogwarts over its 1,000 yr history. Its possible that is was more a historically accurate defensible castle in the past but as time moved on and additions was made and spells created that protected much better, those then-no-longer-needed parts were removed and recycled stones elsewhere.

This is bloody impressive. Well done, Shad! Really interesting too... So close...

Your video popped up on my suggested and upon reviewing your (as always) excellent review on the practicalities of structure and historical references. It felt appropriate, yet sad that you used Notte Dame as the epitome of gothic architecture. Of course not your fault. You are quite right in doing so, but the recent burning of he cathedral makes this reference a little painful again. One of many such memories to come I’m sure. Thank you for your hard work and critical thoughts. Looking forward to your recent releases too.

Absolutely amazing video! Thanks for making and sharing it! :)

In German we have two different words for different castle types. Medieval castles are called "Burg" and these castles of later periods (e. g. Renaissance) are rather named "Schloss".

Please compare Japanese with European castle design.

Wow... good grief. I don't know why I watched so many of your videos. I was on a Skyrim kick and fell down a rabbit hole on your take on castles. Fascinating. Well at this point, I suppose I should subscribe because apparently my thirst for the knowledge you offer is inexhaustible. ;)

Thats a Nice piece of work Shad Thx for a Good indept video :-)

Thanks for all of the prep and research work, it shows

BUT WHAT ABOUT DRAGONS??? In the Harry Potter universe, it actually makes sense to ask that question

THIS IS AMAZING!!! I figured you where just going to pull from tbe later videogames.

I only just came across your channel like... a _day_ ago, and I have to say; I'm _really_ enjoying your content! Your weapons videos are informative as well as entertaining, but as a _Harry Potter_ fan, I _especially_ loved THIS video! This is actually the video that convinced me to subscribe. ❤️ (Honestly I thought I had already subscribed to you yesterday, as I've been watching your vids pretty much on and off the last day or so.) Lol

Massive props to you for going above and beyond by thoroughly researching and building a 3-D graphical model. Huge integrity points.

this is whole new level of nerdness. i love it!

15:21 yeah i was wondering about that whole other section to the right. glad there's an explanation

Shad I'd like to see you digitally analyze and reimagine swords and other weapons from tv and movies. Especially the old cartoons like Darkstar, He-man, and such.

Considering that one of the features of Hogwarts, especially for the inside interior, is that it constantly shifts and changes, to the point where even dumbledore keeps discovering new rooms every now and then, that's pretty impressive of you to manage. ^^

This is where german language shows it's beauty. We refere to something like Hogwarts as a "Schloss", they do have some protection, but mostly they're just beautiful. A "Burg" is another story. Those are flat out designed to withstand a siege. A simple example would be game of thrones. Kings landing is a "Schloss", except for some walls there's nothing that protects the citizens. Meanwhile a "Burg" isn't a building, it has common features with s "Schloss", but it's more functional and the walls are guarded 24/7

Shadoncé - Single knights (Put a gatehouse on it)

You deserve so much more views for this

12:02 Slight correction there, Shad. You see those towers on the roofs of pretty much any european Cathedral, and they do not have an actual base like a tower. And they are built light enough that the roof can carry them. They are called ridge turrets. In some cases, they might be crossing towers (such as the one at 11:40 ). So yeah, turrets sitting on roofs were a thing.

Well, Hogwarts in the first 2 movies could probably be called a castle. Being filmed at Alnwick Castle in England, and all.

I was lucky enough to live just down the road from Pembroke Castle for a long time and it's a magical building to be in, I understand your love of castles.

17:25: there may be a wall next to that back gate house, but after that opening between the two little towers you mention, the wall becomes more of an elevated path, with big openings between the pillars surrounding it instead of wall.

Dos Hogwarts fail as a non-magical castle? Yes. Does Hogwarts aethetics fail as a fantasy castle? No. Does Hogwarts fail as a magical military structure? Im not sure. What good are gate houses if a magic spell, from the very first wizard reaching it, blasts right throu them(like putting a garden fence in front off a tank). So the defense capabilitys off the gate house could only be as strong as the defensive spells.... which makes the gatehouse itself obsolete.

Bravo. Very entertaining and informative. You are, indeed, a castle expert.

Hey Shad! Recently i started watching your videos and i love them! If you read this HP and the order of the phoenix game has a free world like Hogwarts! Happy Holidays!

Cool research! More fantasy castles! 🏰🏰🏰

You're a wizard Shad...

The English definition of castle seems to be somewhat broad. In comparison in German there is a clear separation between a "Burg", i.e. a castle functioning as fortified militaristic base, and a "Schloss", which is more of a palace/château. Then again those terms are not always used with consistency. I guess definitions are always tricky and bound to be changed with accompanying languages and cultures.

The German Language has a good solution for the "Castle"-Term. For medieval defensive structures we use the term "Burg", for the later buildings that take the aesthetic and turn it up to eleven, without needing defensive value, like Neuschwanstein or the french Chateaus, we use the word "Schloss". "Schloss" is also used in the german Version of Harry Potter to describe Hogwarts as far as i remember.

The effort put into that 3D model alone deserves a like

a 3D model of Hogwarts ^_^ this is why i love shad

The different styles used in the castle also seem to indicate that the castle was built over centuries. First it was the the medical style towers and walls. Second they added the Gothic style with the great hall, and third they added bridges to connect the said great halls to be more accessable. It looks like at the time of its initial construction it was meant to be a more fortified castle (the two award looking towers on the non defensible part of the castle seem like it may have held wooden cate house in between them, which may have degraded over the centuries). However as time went by and magic was kept secret from the mugged and threat was no longer prominant, the later Gothic archetecture, bridges, and not even bothering to rebuild fallen gatehouse seem to indicate that they started to consider hogwarts less as a defensive castle but more as a school.

Hogwarts is actually a lot more like a monastery. You have two or three buildings that are essentially cathedrals, the one multilevel block that is probably where the classrooms are (which is most keep-like) and some cloisters here and there. It looks more castle-ish because they've slapped a bunch of pointy Gothic round towers on it, which wouldn't usually be present on cathedrals.

shad, man i love your art

It really touched me how you spent your week making projection about something that made my childhood. Thank you bro

I would also point out that Hogwarts is an OLD castle, and an extremely well lived in castle at that. Leaving aside the elements of it being obviously magical, we should consider that it's likely been through reconstructions, additions, remodelings. How many battles has Hogwarts faced? How many magical sieges that could tear down the old gate-houses? After a certain point, did they just take down the old gatehouses? Did they lower the walls when they were no longer needed?

Ahhh, I thought I was the only one who was like: WTF HAPPENED TO THIS CASTLE? (I just want to know where is the Ravenclaw tower ;-;)

Wow this is really cool, awesome 3D model!!

you know, it's entirely possible that IN UNIVERSE, the creators of Hogwarts just wanted to show off their wealth with extravagant, difficult-to-build features. why did they build a tower on the great hall? because they could. why did they build a triple turreted tower? because they could. etc etc. y'know, subtlely building the lore by communicating how Salazar thought through his architecture. when examining the "why" you should look below the surface.

This has got to be my favourite series from you shad. don't get me wrong, your other videos are great as well, but, something about fortifications and uh... things about them, like exactly what a MACHICOLATION is, really appeals to my specific brand of Geekdom. please do more.

I noticed that the "wall" on the open ground overlooking the lake was riddled with portals. It was little more than a series of attached arches and would offer no defense.

I gave you a thumbs up for the 3D model before you said it took you a week. It's very, very impressive!