Utøya
 | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Tyrifjorden |
| Coordinates | 60°01′25″N 010°14′53″E / 60.02361°N 10.24806°E |
| Administration | |
Utøya (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈʉːtœʏɑ]) is an island in the Tyrifjorden lake in Hole municipality, in the county of Buskerud, Norway. The island is 10.6 hectares (26 acres),[1] situated 500 metres (1,600 ft) off the shore, by the E16 road, 38 kilometres (24 mi) driving distance north-west of Oslo city centre.
Overview
Utøya is owned by the Workers' Youth League (Arbeidernes ungdomsfylking, AUF), the youth wing of the Labour Party, which holds an annual summer camp there. The island was given as a commemorative gift by Oslo Trade Union Confederation on August 28, 1950,[2] but also serves as a camp site for other events, including other organizations' summer camps. The island is operated commercially by Utøya AS.[3]
The island is largely forested, with some open spaces. A small pier on the east side of the island is used to ferry people to and from the mainland. There are also permanent buildings. Hovedhuset ("The Main House"), Stabburet ("The Hórreo"), and Låven ("The Barn") are located together near the dock. Up on the hillside (LO-toppen) are the main campgrounds, the cafeteria building, and the sanitary building. Skolestua ("The school house") is located further south.[4]
The name
The first element is ut 'out, outermost'; the last element is the finite form of øy, 'island'. Utøya is the southernmost island in the lake of Tyrifjorden.
2011 shooting
On 22 July 2011, a mass shooting took place at the AUF's summer camp, where 650 young people were staying. A man dressed as a police officer, identified by Norwegian media as Anders Behring Breivik, arrived on Utøya, telling those on the island that he was there for security reasons following the explosions in Oslo which took place a few hours before. He then began shooting at individuals, continuing until the police arrived one hour after the first alarm call. Breivik immediately surrendered.[5] Combined, the attacks in Oslo and Utøya left 76 dead, with 68 killed on the island.[6][7]
References
- ^ Coastline for the property "0612-235/1 Utøen", according to Statens kartverk, http://seeiendom.no/
- ^ Store Norske Leksikon: Utøya Retrieved 2011-07-24
- ^ "''Utøya 2010 – AUFs summer camp'' (Arbeidernes Ungdomsfylking". Auf.no. Retrieved 23 July 2011.
- ^ "Massakren på Utøya (Annotated photo of Utøya)". Haugesunds Avis/Nyhetsgrafikk. Retrieved 24 July 2011.
- ^ Verdens Gang. 24 July 2011 http://www.vg.no/. Retrieved 24 July 2011.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Gibbs, Walter (31 March 2011). "At least 93 dead in Norway shooting, bomb attack | Reuters". Uk.reuters.com. Retrieved 23 July 2011.
- ^ "Norway police lower youth camp death toll to 68". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 25 July 2011. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
External links
