The world’s longest corridor is believed to be at the British RAF Mount Pleasant Airforce base in the Falkland Islands. Nicknamed the ‘Death Star Corridor’ by personnel working at the base, it measures over 2,600 feet (800 meters) and links the barracks barracks, messes, and recreational and welfare areas at Mount Pleasant.
In September 2020, a group of RAF Logistics Drivers at the base walked the corridor walk non-stop for 15 and a half hours – the length of time it takes to fly to Mount Pleasant from the RAF base Brize Norton in Oxfordshire. During the time it takes to cover over 50 miles (equal to 100 lengths of the corridor) each. In the end, the team raised over $4,000 for charities supporting people with Crohn’s and Motor Neurone Disease.
Despite the dramatic name, the Death Star Corridor is divided by a series of doors and sharp corners, and is far less visually impressive than some other contenders.
Take the Guinness World Record for the world’s longest “covered wooden corridor”. This title belongs to the Summer Palace’s aptly-named ‘The Long Corridor’ in Beijing, a winding, picturesque corridor that runs for 2,388ft (728m). It is built entirely out of wood, and comprised of 273 different sections, separated by crossbeams. Over 10,000 Chinese landscape paintings adorn the corridor’s ceiling and side pillars.
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Though ‘The Long Corridor’ may come up a few hundred feet short, it seems a more fitting winner.
Another contender is the corridor(s) of the Ramanathaswamy Temple on Rameswaram (or Pamban) Island, in southeastern India. One of the holiest Hindu temples, it has three giant corridors, each the longest of any Hindu temple in India. They tower over 20ft in height, and the temple’s extensive corridor infrastructure measures a total of 3,850ft in all directions.
Like ‘The Long Corridor’, the ancient walkways – which were expanded during the 12th century, during the Pandya dynasty – are decorated with traditional artwork, and over 1,200 pillars line the outer corridors.
