Vasilissis Sofias Avenue () is a major avenue in the east side of

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates a ...

, the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

capital. The avenue was originally part of the

Kifisias Avenue Kifisias Avenue ( el, Λεωφόρος Κηφισίας) is one of the longest and busiest avenues in the Greater Athens area, Greece, containing the headquarters of many Greek and foreign companies and organizations. Description The total len ...

. The part from

Syntagma Square Syntagma Square ( el, Πλατεία Συντάγματος, , "Constitution Square") is the central square of Athens. The square is named after the Constitution that Otto, the first King of Greece, was obliged to grant after a popular and milit ...

to the intersection with Alexandras Avenue was renamed after Queen Sophia, the consort of

King Constantine I Constantine I ( el, Κωνσταντίνος Αʹ, ''Konstantínos I''; – 11 January 1923) was King of Greece from 18 March 1913 to 11 June 1917 and from 19 December 1920 to 27 September 1922. He was commander-in-chief of the Hellenic Arm ...

. The avenue begins at the intersections of

Amalias Avenue Vasilissis Amalias Avenue ( el, Λεωφόρος Βασιλίσσης Αμαλίας, "Queen Amalia Avenue") is a major avenue in Athens linking with Andrea Syngrou Avenue in the south and Panepistimiou Street in the north. The avenue has three l ...

and

Panepistimiou Street Panepistimiou Street ( el, Οδός Πανεπιστημίου, "University Street", named after the University of Athens, the central building of which is on the upper corner) is a major street in Athens that has run one way for non-transit v ...

and ends by Alexandras, Kifissias and Mesogeion Avenues as well as Feidippou Street, with a total length of approximately 3 km. A section of the avenue is part of the old GR-1, and a branch of GR-54. American embassy at vasilissis sophias in athens

American embassy at vasilissis sophias in athens

As many historical buildings and landmarks are located on the avenue, such as the

Old Royal Palace The Old Royal Palace ( el, Παλαιά Ανάκτορα ''Palaiá Anáktora'') is the first royal palace of modern Greece, completed in 1843. It has housed the Hellenic Parliament since 1934. The Old Palace is situated at the heart of modern A ...

(today housing the

Greek Parliament The Hellenic Parliament ( el, Ελληνικό Κοινοβούλιο, Elliniko Kinovoulio; formally titled el, Βουλή των Ελλήνων, Voulí ton Ellínon, Boule of the Hellenes, label=none), also known as the Parliament of the He ...

) and the

National Gardens of Athens The National Garden (formerly the Royal Garden) ( el, Εθνικός Κήπος)(it was named Royal Garden until 1974) is a public park of in the center of the Greek capital, Athens. It is located between the districts of Kolonaki and Pang ...

, the mansions of very important Greeks and foreigners (today most of them housing embassies and museums) (e.g. the residence of the Greek Prime Minister

Eleutherios Venizelos Eleftherios Kyriakou Venizelos ( el, Ελευθέριος Κυριάκου Βενιζέλος, translit=Elefthérios Kyriákou Venizélos, ; – 18 March 1936) was a Greeks, Greek statesman and a prominent leader of the Greek national liberati ...

-now part of the British embassy, the mansion of

Sophie de Marbois-Lebrun, Duchess of Plaisance Sophie de Marbois-Lebrun, Duchess of Plaisance (Greek: Δούκισσα της Πλακεντίας) (1785–1854) was a French noblewoman, known as an important figure in Greek high society the first decades after Greek independence. She was b ...

-now the

Byzantine and Christian Museum The Byzantine and Christian Museum ( el, Βυζαντινό και Χριστιανικό Μουσείο, links=no) is situated at Vassilissis Sofias Avenue in Athens, Greece. It was founded in 1914, and houses more than 25,000 exhibits with rare ...

, the mansion of

business magnate A business magnate, also known as a tycoon, is a person who has achieved immense wealth through the ownership of multiple lines of enterprise. The term characteristically refers to a powerful entrepreneur or investor who controls, through per ...

and tycoon Othon Stathatos-today part of the

Goulandris Museum of Cycladic Art The Nicholas P. Goulandris Foundation - Museum of Cycladic Art is a museum of Athens. It houses a notable collection of artifacts of Cycladic art. The museum was founded in 1986 in order to house the collection of Cycladic and Ancient Greek art ...

), Vasilissis Sofias Avenue is one of the most chic and prestigious streets in the Greek capital. Because of the very high price of land on this street, most of the buildings seen on Vasilissis Sofias Avenue were mainly built in the 1950s-1960s, but others built in the beginnings of the 20th century are also commonly seen. Except from residences, medical doctors' private practices, banks, museums, embassies and high-end hotels are common on this historical street. The westbound lanes turn into Amalias Avenue and Panepistimiou Street, and the northbound of Amalias turns into Vasileias Sofias Avenue and Panepistimiou Street ; there is no traffic flow from the eastbound of Panepistimiou Street as it forms a one-way route westbound, and since the 2000s transit traffic has been excluded. Three

Athens Metro The Athens Metro ( el, Μετρό Αθήνας, Metro Athinas, translit-std=iso) is a rapid-transit system in Greece which serves the Athens urban area and parts of East Attica. Line 1 opened as a conventional steam railway in 1869 and electrif ...

stations (Line 3) are on, or near, Vassilissis Sofias Avenue:

Syntagma Syntagma (σύνταγμα), a Greek word meaning "arrangement" in classical Greek and "constitution" in modern Greek, may refer to: *The Constitution of Greece * Ottoman Empire Constitution of 1876 *Syntagma Square in Athens *Syntagma station of ...

, Evangelismos,

Megaro Moussikis The Athens Concert Hall ( Greek: Μέγαρον Μουσικής Αθηνών, ''Mégaron Mousikis Athinon'') is a concert hall located on Vasilissis Sofias Avenue in Athens, Greece. The Hall was inaugurated in 1991 with two halls. Since then i ...

(the Evangelismos station is on the avenue).

History

The avenue was first paved in the 20th century and added trolley lanes by the ends of the avenue, with neo-classical buildings also taking shape by the avenue. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

and the

Greek Civil War The Greek Civil War ( el, ο Eμφύλιος �όλεμος}, ''o Emfýlios'' 'Pólemos'' "the Civil War") took place from 1946 to 1949. It was mainly fought against the established Kingdom of Greece, which was supported by the United Kingdom and ...

, it added modern eight-to-ten storey buildings in most of the intersection (mainly to the north) with traffic and street lights installed. Today's Vassilissis Sofias Avenue has, on its west side, four lanes westbound and two lanes eastbound, while beyond, the rest of the avenue takes in three lanes, including a bus lane and intersection by Vasileos Konstantinou Avenue and Vasileos Alexandrou Street.

Intersections

and

Akadimias Street Akadimias Street (Greek: Οδός Ακαδημίας) (named after the Academy of Athens) is a major street in Athens that runs parallel to Panepistimiou Street and Stadiou Street from Vassilissis Sofias Avenue, in Kolonaki district, to in the ...

, north * Solonos Street, north * Koubari and

Herodou Attikou street Herodou Attikou Street or Irodou Attikou Street (Greek: Οδός Ηρώδου Αττικού, ) is located east of downtown Athens and is adjacent to the National Garden of Athens. The street is named after the ancient Athenian rhetorician, magn ...

s * Ploutarchou and

Rizari Street Rizari is a village in the municipality of Edessa, Greece. Rizari is from the city center of Edessa, and west of Thessaloniki. Notable people * Marietta Chrousala ''(1983 - )'' - fashion model and television presenter References {{Ede ...

s * Marasli Street *

Vasileos Konstantinou Avenue Vasileos Konstantinos Avenue ( el, Λεωφόρος Βασιλέως Κωνσταντίνου), ''Leoforos Vasileos Konstantinou'', "King Constantine Avenue") is one of Athens' major thoroughfares running from the Panathinaiko Stadium (also known ...

and Vasileos Alexandrou Street * Papadiamantopoulou Street * D. Soutsou Street * Mesogeion Avenue * Alexandras and

Kifissias Avenue Kifisias Avenue ( el, Λεωφόρος Κηφισίας) is one of the longest and busiest avenues in the Greater Athens area, Greece, containing the headquarters of many Greek and foreign companies and organizations. Description The total le ...

Major buildings on Vassilissis Sofias Avenue

Culture *

Benaki Museum The Benaki Museum, established and endowed in 1930 by Antonis Benakis in memory of his father Emmanuel Benakis, is housed in the Benakis family mansion in downtown Athens, Greece. The museum houses Greek works of art from the prehistorical to the ...

Stathatos Mansion The Stathatos building (''Megaron Stathatou'') is a neoclassical villa on the Vasilissis Sofias Avenue. It was built in 1895 by the Saxon-Greek architect Ernst Ziller for the Stathatos Family. History The house was donated by the Stathatos fam ...

, part of the

Athens War Museum The Athens War Museum ( el, Πολεμικό Μουσείο Αθήνας), established on July 18, 1975, is the museum of the Greek Armed Forces. Its purpose is the exhibition of weapon artifacts and the relevant research in the history of war. It ...

National Gallery (Athens) The National Gallery ( el, Εθνική Πινακοθήκη, ''Ethniki Pinakothiki'') is an art museum located on Vasilissis Sofias avenue in the Pangrati district, Athens, Greece. It is devoted to Greek and European art from the 14th century ...

Athens Concert Hall The Athens Concert Hall (Greek: Μέγαρον Μουσικής Αθηνών, ''Mégaron Mousikis Athinon'') is a concert hall located on Vasilissis Sofias Avenue in Athens, Greece. The Hall was inaugurated in 1991 with two halls. Since then it ...

Education *

Academy of Art The following is a list of notable art schools. Accredited non-profit art and design colleges * Adelaide Central School of Art * Alberta College of Art and Design * Art Academy of Cincinnati * Art Center College of Design * The Art Institute ...

Institutions *

* Offices of the EU in Athens * National Research Institute * Embassy of Argentina, Athens * Embassy of France, Athens * Embassy of Serbia, Athens * Embassy of the United Kingdom, Athens * Embassy of the United States in Athens * Embassy of Portugal, Athens * Embassy of Brazil, Athens *

European Network and Information Security Agency The European Union Agency for Cybersecurity – self-designation ENISA from the abbreviation of its original name – is an agency of the European Union. It is fully operational since September 1, 2005. The Agency is located in Athens, Greece ...

Hospitals * Aretaieion Hospital *

Alexandra Hospital Alexandra Hospital (AH) is a hospital located in Queenstown, Singapore that provides acute and community care under the National University Health System. The hospital's colonial-style buildings were constructed in the late 1930s on of land. ...

* Ippokrateion Hospital Hotels *

Hilton Athens The Hilton Athens was a hotel in Athens, Greece. Opened in 1963, it closed for renovations in January 2022 and will reopen in 2024. It is on Vassilissis Sofias Avenue, within the Hilton Area, adjacent to the Kolonaki and Pangrati neighbourhoods ...

History

Intersections

Major buildings on Vassilissis Sofias Avenue

See also