Mårten Trotzigs Gränd, the Narrowest Street of Stockholm

At the very end of the Vasterlanggatan, just short of the Iron Square, there is a small alley called Mårten Trotzigs Gränd (on the map), which is enclosed by high blank walls and is only 90 centimeters wide. The lane is named after a merchant from Saxony who settled in Stockholm in 1581.

Trading in the most sought - after Swedish goods of the time-iron, and later copper, Trotsig earned a decent fortune, eventually becoming one of the richest and most respected people in the city, while remaining a foreign citizen. Only in 1595, the merchant took an oath of allegiance to the Swedish king, having received the right to purchase real estate. Two years later, Trotzig bought a house on Gamla Stan adjacent to an alley that at that time bore the name Trångsund (narrow strait). In 1599, a merchant purchased a house on the other side of the lane.

In the annals of the lane at different times mentioned and under other names. At one time it was called Trappegrenden (the Stair lane) as it has a staircase of 36 steps, there was also an exotic name Kungsgränden (the Royal Lane). On the map of 1733, the designation Trotz gränd first appeared. In the middle of the 19th century, the owners of the houses arranged a private courtyard from the alley, the passage through it was closed. In 1949, the passage was opened, and in 1949 the lane officially received a name that is now known to all tourists visiting Stockholm.

Now one of the Trotzigs house a popular restaurant that bears his name, in the evening old gas lamps give the street a special flavor, and local guides, of course, with some pride, inform tourists that this is the narrowest street in the world, although the Devil in Prague has a minimum width of 65 centimeters.

After walking between the blank walls and climbing the steps, we will come out on a small square in front of St. Nicholas School, one of the oldest educational institutions in Stockholm.