What is a wolfskuil?

The Dutch building term wolfskuil (literally “wolf pit”) means a pit or small well, but its exact meaning depends on context. There are four meanings.

1. Floor grease trap

A small pit in the floor of, for example, a kitchen or workshop that catches waste water containing grease and oil before it enters the sewer. Grease cools and sets in the sewer and causes blockages. Large volumes, as in commercial kitchens, require a proper grease separator; the local authority or water company sets the rules. Empty and clean it regularly.

2. Defensive pitfall

A pit with sharpened stakes standing upright in the bottom, used as an obstacle in fortifications, usually in groups.

3. Cellar light well (Amsterdam)

In Amsterdam, an extension of the cellar across its full width at the back of the house, bringing daylight into the basement. A small bridge often crosses it to the garden. Make sure it drains well.

4. Lewis hole in stone

A dovetailed hole cut into a heavy stone, into which a lifting device (a lewis, in Dutch a “wolf”) is wedged. Gravestones were lifted this way.

Related terms

• Cesspit
• Basement
• Cellar

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