Vegghushølet is right by the sea below the Mariaplassen. A “vegghus” was a type of house that was used in olden times, but they existed and were inhabited at Utøy as late as the first half of the 20th century..

The house had three common walls of wood or were designed as turf hut with a vent in the top. The fourth wall was a vertical rock wall. Against this wall lay the fireplace which was used during the day for cooking and the like. This heated the rock wall, which gave off heat at night.

This was probably a poor man’s house. Locally the place was called “the Vegglusholet” (“wall lice hole”, either because it was easier to say or because there were wall lice in this house (supposedly lice thrive in unclean environments).

We see that the rock wall is weathered and loose stones have broken away. This is due to the fact that the mountain was first heated and formed cracks, then water penetrated, froze, and burst the mountain.

It is easy to access by boat, and the sea and fishing were probably crucial for survival in such a place.