Durmstrang and 'Sturm und Drang'

Durmstrang has existed since at least 1294. It once had the darkest reputation of all eleven wizarding schools, though this was never entirely merited. It is true that Durmstrang, which has turned out many truly great witches and wizards, has twice in its history fallen under the stewardship of wizards of dubious allegiance or nefarious intent, and that it has one infamous ex-pupil.

[Rising of the moon from the sea by Caspar David Friedrich (1774-1840)]

The first of these unhappy men, Harfang Munter, took over the school shortly after the mysterious death of its founder, the great Bulgarian witch Nerida Vulchanova. Munter established Durmstrang’s reputation for duelling and all forms of martial magic, which remain an impressive part of its curriculum today. The second dark period in Durmstrang’s history came with the Headmastership of Igor Karkaroff, an ex-Death Eater who fled his post upon the return from exile of Lord Voldemort, fearing the latter’s retribution. Karkaroff was an unprincipled and egotistical man who encouraged a culture of fear and intimidation among the students, and many parents withdrew their children from Durmstrang while he was in charge.

The ex-pupil who has done more than any other to cause damage to Durmstrang’s reputation was Gellert Grindelwald (1882 or 1883-1998), one of the most dangerous wizards of the twentieth century. However, in recent years Durmstrang has undergone something of a renaissance, and has produced such international luminaries as international Quidditch star Viktor Krum (1976).

Location of Durmstrang?
Although believed to be situated in the far north of Europe, Durmstrang is one of the most secretive of all schools about its whereabouts, so nobody can be quite certain of its location. Most think that Durmstrang must be located somewhere in northern Scandinavia, but some speculate that the school can be located on one of the Norvegian Arctic islands of Spitsbergen (Svalbard) or Bear Island (Bjørnøya).

Another possiblity is a location in the northern reaches of the Urals (Russia) as the dark reputation of the school correlates neatly with the Russian mindset.

[Northern Urals: Manpupuner Plateau and Dyatlov Pass]

Visitors to Durmstrang, who must comply with memory charms to erase their knowledge of how they got there, speak of vast, sprawling grounds with many stunning views, not least of the great, dark, spectral ship that is moored on a mountain lake behind the school, from which students dive in summertime.

Sturm und Drang
A liberating sort of spin-off of Durmstrang was 'Sturm und Drang', a proto-Romantic movement in German literature, music and painting (see painting of Caspar David Friedrich above) that occurred between the late 1760s and early 1780s. The term is usually translated as 'Storm and Stress' with a sense of purpose.

Extremes of emotion were given free expression in reaction to the perceived constraints of rationalism imposed by the Enlightenment and associated aesthetic movements. The period is named after Friedrich Maximilian Klinger's play of the same name, which was first performed in 1777.

Sturm und Drang was possibly invented by former students of Durmstrang to form a community of wizards in plain sight that could help them to overcome the psychological effects of the harsh constraints of their infamous school.

Source (partly)