Azkaban
Azkaban was a fortress on an island in the middle of the North Sea. It served the magical community of Great Britain as a prison for convicted criminals. Azkaban was built in the 15th century and it had been in use as a detention facility since 1718.[1] Using certain Charms, Azkaban was hidden from the Muggle world, and was Unplottable.
As of Eldritch Diggory's visit in the 1730s or 1740s,[2] a graveyard had been established on the island to accommodate those who had died in the prison. Most of the prisoners inside its walls died of despair, having lost the will to live. This was due to the presence of Dementor guards on the island.[1] Dementors drained people of all happiness and left them with their worst memories. Long-term exposure usually led to insanity and even death. However, as of 1998, Dementors no longer dwelled in Azkaban, and Aurors replaced them as guards.
While other wizarding prisons existed, such as Nurmengard (which was used exclusively to hold its creator Gellert Grindelwald's enemies and eventually himself), Azkaban was the only known fortress to be the "official" holding ground for British wizarding criminals.
Wands were not allowed in Azkaban, given the nature of the criminals kept there.[3] Visitors had to weigh their wands with a Wand Weigher and then hand their wands over to the security desk as per the Dementors' wishes, as there could be no possibility a prisoner could take a wand and use it to escape.[4] Broomsticks or any other flying devices were also forbidden entry into the prison, and had to be left in the security entrance.
