Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United Kingdom Scotland Wick Ebenezer Place
AO Edited

Ebenezer Place

The world's shortest street was created by an awkwardly placed hotel.

Wick, Scotland

nmcclure85 profile photo
Added By
nic mcclure
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Ebenezer Place   Wikipedia
MacKays Hotel at Ebenezer Place   katielou106 / Atlas Obscura User
  rbenn250 / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

The product of a hotel built at the junction of two roads and a town council that was strict about its rules, Ebenezer Place rules as the tiniest stretch of street in the world.

During the 1880s, Mackay's Hotel was built right at the junction of Wick, Scotland's Union, and River streets leaving the skinny point of the building and its address in a state of limbo. The town requested that the hotel owner put a sign up on the tip of his establishment that would allow people to navigate the strange intersection and thus the six-foot, nine-inch strip of sidewalk outside the hotel was dubbed 1 Ebenezer Place. The street was made official just a few years later and has remained ever since.

Mackay's Hotel still sits on the spot, but the door now leads to the hotel's eatery. No matter the business in residence, Ebenezer Place still holds the Guinness World Record for Shortest Street.

Places

Discover your next amazing Atlas Place.

Get more unusual and extraordinary places each week with the Atlas Obscura Places newsletter.

Your newsletter subscriptions with us are subject to Atlas Obscura's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Related Tags

World's Smallest World Record Roads

Know Before You Go

directly down the hill from wick rail station

Community Contributors

nmcclure85 profile photo

Added By

nmcclure85

EricGrundhauser profile photo rbenn250 profile photo

Edited By

EricGrundhauser, rbenn250

  • EricGrundhauser profile photo EricGrundhauser
  • rbenn250 profile photo rbenn250

Published

February 27, 2014

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebenezer_Place,_Wick
  • http://scribol.com/art-and-design/the-shortest-street-on-earth
Ebenezer Place
1 Ebenezer Place
Wick, Scotland, KW1 5EA
United Kingdom
58.441208, -3.094072
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Whaligoe Steps

Whaligoe, Scotland

miles away

Hill O' Many Stanes

Mid Clyth, Scotland

miles away

John o' Groats Marker

John o' Groats, Scotland

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Scotland

Scotland

United Kingdom

Places 797
Stories 49

Nearby Places

Whaligoe Steps

Whaligoe, Scotland

miles away

Hill O' Many Stanes

Mid Clyth, Scotland

miles away

John o' Groats Marker

John o' Groats, Scotland

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Scotland

Scotland

United Kingdom

Places 797
Stories 49

Related Places

  • Spreuerhofstrasse

    Reutlingen, Germany

    Spreuerhofstrasse

    The narrowest street in the world is in danger of closing up entirely.

  • The top of Kardung La

    Leh, India

    Kardung La

    Over 3 miles up in the Himalayas this pass is one of the highest drivable roads in the world.

  • Lake Pontchartrain Causeway.

    New Orleans, Louisiana

    Lake Pontchartrain Causeway

    The world-record holder for the longest bridge stretching continuously over water.

  • Parliament Street Exeter

    Exeter, England

    Parliament Street

    At just 25 inches at its narrowest point, it's one of the tightest streets in the world.

  • Queen Charlotte Street.

    Windsor, England

    Queen Charlotte Street

    At just 51 feet and 10 inches long, it's the shortest street in England.

  • Treasury Street.

    St. Augustine, Florida

    Treasury Street

    St. Augustine's record-setting narrow street was designed to protect against pirates.

  • Strada Sforii

    Brașov, Romania

    Strada Sforii (Rope Street)

    This snug medieval lane is one of the narrowest streets in the world.

  • Baldwin Street

    Dunedin, New Zealand

    Baldwin Street Houses

    One of the world's steepest streets seems to have houses sliding down it.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2026 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.