Wandering through Gamla stan (The Old Town) is one of many interesting things you can do in Stockholm. This part of the city dates back to the 13th century and consists of medieval passages, cobbled streets, and archaic architecture. The most famous buildings are the Stockholm Cathedral, the Nobel Museum, and the Riddarholm church. From the 1980s, Gamla stan has become a tourist attraction, but retained its old charm and it’s still a very desirable place to own an apartment. Former tennis star Bjorn Borg and one of the members of pop duet Roxette allegedly have an apartment on Skeppsbron, a street in eastern part of Gamla stan, stretching from the bridge Strömbron in front of the Royal Palace southward to Slussen. Golf superstar Tiger Woods, who was married to former Swedish model Elin Nordegren, used to own an apartment on Skeppsbron, too.
If you wander through Gamla stan you can soon find a tiny alley called Marten Trotzigs Grand (or Alley of Marten Trotzig), which is the narrowest street in Stockholm. It runs from Prastgatan to Vasterlanggatan and at the narrowest point the width of the alley is just 90 centimeters (3 feet).
I have to admit that I’ve read about the Marten Trotzigs Grand in Lonely Planet guide before I started with my Gamla stan exploration. Lonely Planet Stockholm has a mini paragraph, devoted to this street:
A mere 90 cm wide, Marten Trotzigs Grand is Stockholm’s narrowest laneway. Located off the southern end of Vasterlanggatan, Moby fans will recall the singer running through it in his music video clip for the James Bond theme. The clip was directed by Stockholm’s Jonas Akerlund.
Well, there’s only one way to prove if Moby really ran along the alley. Moby’s remake of The James Bond Theme was featured in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies and in the compilation I Like to Score, which is a compilation of his songs used in films. In the video Moby runs from some bad buys. He runs on the streets, through some dump, over the cars, through the tunnels … and also along the Marten Trotzigs Grand.
Here you can watch Moby’s video for the song James Bond Theme.
Map of Marten Trotzigs Grand
The original version of this article was first published on BrandsAndFilms.com in September, 2011.
