March 18, 2026, 9:41 am | Read time: 4 minutes

If you ever visit the northern Scottish town of Wick and see a crowd taking photos at an otherwise unremarkable street corner, you’ve discovered one of the United Kingdom’s quirkiest spots. Here, at the intersection of Union Street and River Street, is Ebenezer Place. It has made its way into both history books and the Guinness Book of Records as the shortest street in the world. This peculiar record is thanks to a wealthy local and the stubbornness of the local authorities.

According to the official website of Mackay’s Hotel, which has been located on Ebenezer Place since 1883, the superlative traces back to Scottish businessman Alexander Sinclair. He returned that year from the United States, where he had made a fortune. With part of his money, he built the inn that still exists today. Then it gets a bit bizarre: Three of the hotel’s four exterior walls were along Union Street and River Street. However, the fourth, shortest exterior wall jutted out onto the intersection of the two streets, which until then was unnamed. But the local building authority would not accept this situation.

Shortest Street in the World Has Existed Since 1887

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According to the book “Soul Places Scotland” by author Sandra Wickert, the regulations were quite clear. As soon as a house wall has a front door and windows, it must have its own address. And to name this, a street had to be created: Ebenezer Place. It was officially registered as a street in 1887. However, for a long time, no one realized that this strip, which could barely be called a street, was actually the shortest street in the world. Ebenezer Place measures just 2.05 meters. Some people in the world would be longer than the entire street if they lay down at that spot. A normal pedestrian can “cross” it in just up to three steps.

That was probably why Ebenezer Place only officially received its quirky superlative on October 26, 2006. At that time, a team from the Guinness Book of Records measured it precisely, confirmed the previously mentioned length, and awarded the title. Since then, the shortest street in the world has become a, well, small tourist attraction in Wick. On the TripAdvisor portal, there are some pretty funny comments. One user writes: “Don’t blink, or you’ll miss the street.” Another says: “We searched for this place and drove right past it into Union Street.” Another user adds: “We didn’t even realize we had a world record holder in front of us until we read these reviews.”

Germany Also Has a World Record Street

By the way, when it comes to quirky street records, Germany also has a say. The Spreuerhofstraße in Reutlingen is the narrowest street in the world. At its narrowest point, it is just 31 centimeters wide. Even a very slim person would have to squeeze through this bottleneck. It was created in 1726 and was officially recognized by the Guinness Book of Records in 2007. Like Ebenezer Place, the location has become one of the biggest local tourist magnets. Perhaps even more bizarre is the shortest highway in the world in Romania. It is just one meter long.