The “Block house” is the main symbol of Stavern. These wooden houses were built during the years 1788-92 to protect the military base Fredriksvern Verft against attacks in the Napoleonic Wars early in the 19th century.
You would find the block houses on high hills and on top of small mountains in Stavern, reminding you of pillar storehouses. They were used as lookout points and as posts for marksmen. Originally there were three of them, but present there are only two houses left.
A blockhouse functioned as a small, isolated fort in the form of a single building. It served as a defensive stronghold against any enemy that did not posess artillery.
Skansen in Stavanger and Christiansø in Kristiansand are examples of two other well-known Norwegian blockhouses.