Koldovstoretz
Koldovstoretz (Russian: колдовсторец) is the Russian wizarding school. Students from Koldovstoretz play a version of Quidditch where they fly on entire, uprooted trees instead of broomsticks[1] and use Bludgers made of iron.
A student from Koldovstoretz competed in the Wizarding Schools Potions Championship.
.Structure
Architecture
To outsiders, Koldovstoretz appears as a fortress: sturdy, mountainous, and utterly forbidding. Its grim exterior appears to be made entirely of stone, and half-buried under a thick layer of snow. Its towers – of which there are several – stand tall as deadly spires, with no recourse from what appears to be a very steep climb; anyone who tries to reach the top by broom will find themselves flying forever (getting down is much easier than climbing up). The wizard-made island for which it was built sits in the middle of a vast, frozen lake.
The interior of Koldovstoretz's halls retain much of its stony countenance, but is said to have a subtle elegance in its clever architecture, priceless artifacts and rich murals.
Academics
Education in Koldovstoretz is rigid, competitive and highly intensive. Students are tracked into specific career choices as early as possible.
Still, there is a distinct emphasis on a well-rounded and thorough education. Students are expected to be well-versed in practical arts as well as the theoretical and non-magical, such as history and literature.
Of the magical subjects, perhaps the most important ones are Charms, Divination and Care of Magical Creatures. The curriculum on Charms is, in particular, remarkably varied and complex. With traditional Russian values focused on the keeping of one's house and home, domestic and culinary charmwork are their own courses; deeper, more important secrets are layered and incorporate complex mathematics in both their solutions and the charmwork itself.
Calendar
| Spring Break | Summer Break | Fall Break | Winter Break |
| April 3 - April 17 | June 21 - Sept. 1 | Nov. 16 - Nov. 23 | Dec. 30 - Jan. 12 |
Sports
Given the harsh, icy environment, Koldovstoretz offers a limited array of sports.
- Quidditch
- Like most if not all of the Eastern Hemisphere, Quidditch is the most popular sport, for which the school has its own representative team. However, given that it covers the old Soviet Bloc and most of Russia, only the best of the best are allowed to join. The rest of the student body must form their own teams, or clubs, and play against each other in tournaments. The winners are then considered for recruitment—though not always.
- Ice Quidditch
- Eistod, or Ice Quidditch, is a close second in terms of popularity. During the season, half of the lake is transfigured and enchanted into a stadium. The school team is Koloss Koldovstoretz.
- Ice Skating
- The other half of the lake is cordoned off for speed skating and figure skating.
Uniforms
The standard uniform is grey and utilitarian, with other, more expensive options in black and charcoal, black and gold, red and gold and fur trim.
Etymology
The name of this school is likely derived from the Russian words "koldovstvo" (колдовство), misspelt as "koldovsto" and meaning "witchcraft", and "tvoretz" (творец), meaning "creator". Together the words form a partially overlapping portmanteau with the meaning "(the) creator of magic". By another version, the second word is "dvoretz" (дворец), meaning "palace", that makes the whole name the "palace of witchcraft".[2]
Alumni
Classes of 2000 - Present
- Maksim Markov ('01)
- Maria Nazarova ('02)
- Anara Abdulayeva ('03)
- Grigory Gonchar ('03)
- Dmitriy Lapin ('03)
- Semyon Yurevich ('04)
- Vasily Gonchar ('09)
- Ksenia Gonchar ('12)
Classes of 1980 - 1999
- Bern Lundgren (1983)
- Alina Dalca-Pratt (1995)
