Sofokleous Street (, ''Odos Sofokleous'') is a street in the downtown part of

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

, the Greek capital. It is named after the ancient Greek tragedian

Sophocles Sophocles ( 497/496 – winter 406/405 BC)Sommerstein (2002), p. 41. was an ancient Greek tragedian known as one of three from whom at least two plays have survived in full. His first plays were written later than, or contemporary with, those ...

. The street runs from

Pireos Street Peiraios Street (, ''Odos Peiraios'') is a main road in Athens, Greece, linking the center of the city with the port of Piraeus. The island areas of the road are lined with trees, and historically the avenue runs over parts of the north wall and ...

and ends short from

Stadiou Street Stadiou Street ( Greek: Οδός Σταδíου, ''Odós Stadíou'', "Stadium Street") is Athens' major street linking the Omonoia and Syntagma Squares. It runs diagonally and is one-way from northwest to southeast. The street is named after th ...

at Pesmazoglou Street and Aristeidou Street. Until 2007 the

Athens Stock Exchange The Athens Stock Exchange (ASE or ATHEX; , ''Chrimatistírio Athinón'') is the stock exchange of Greece, based in the capital city of Athens. It was founded in 1876. There are currently five markets operating in ATHEX: regulated securities mark ...

was located in this street, near

Aiolou Street Aiolou Street (also Eolou Street; ) is a street in downtown Athens, the Greece, Greek capital. It is named after Aeolus, the god of winds in Greek mythology. The street is one-way and originally ran entirely southbound but since the closure of ...

on the north side. Further north lies

Kotzia Square Kotzia Square () is a square in central Athens, Greece. The square retains several characteristics of 19th-century local neoclassical architecture, such as the City Hall of the Municipality of Athens and the National Bank of Greece Cultural Cent ...

. The street is approximately 600 m long. The nearest metro stations are Panepistimio and Omonia.

History

The

first opened in 30 Sept.1876 on the street's north side, and soon moved to the junction of Aiolou and Sofokleous streets. From 1885 until 1891 it was housed at a building owned by the brokerage firm "Hermes" at 11 Sofocleous Street. On December 19, 1934, the new building was inaugurated in a formal manner. During World War II the various "policing" measures were hindered by brokers in the "free" market engaged in buying pounds in the streets around the Sophocleous Street building. On September 21, 1999, the highest price was recorded when the index reached 6,484.38 units, operating as a landmark for smallholders, who in a few years lost more than one hundred billion euros. Modernistic eight storey-buildings were constructed in most parts of the street while neo-classical buildings still existed. Traffic lights and street lights were introduced. Traffic lights were also introduced at Pireos, Sokratous, Athinas and Aiolou streets. After the move of the Athens Exchange its former building was used as the venue for the 4th

Athens Biennale The Athens Biennale (abbr. AB) is an international cultural event held every two years at various locations in Athens, consisting of a large-scale exhibition and a diverse programme of side events, such as performances, workshops, lectures etc. I ...

2013 "AGORA".

Important buildings

* The old hotel ''Pindaros'' on Sofokleous 24. * The central bank building of the

National Bank of Greece The National Bank of Greece (NBG; ) is a banking and financial services company with its headquarters in Athens, Greece. Founded in 1841 as the newly independent country's first financial institution, it has long been the largest Greek bank, a ...

at the corner of Aeolos and Sofokleous. * The building of the Economics Department of the

National and Kapodistrian University of Athens The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA; , ''Ethnikó kai Kapodistriakó Panepistímio Athinón''), usually referred to simply as the University of Athens (UoA), is a public university in Athens, Greece, with various campuses alo ...

at Sofokleous 1. * The

Stoa A stoa (; plural, stoas,"stoa", ''Oxford English Dictionary'', 2nd Ed., 1989 stoai, or stoae ), in ancient Greek architecture, is a covered walkway or portico, commonly for public use. Early stoas were open at the entrance with columns, usually ...

of Athens (covered walkway) at Sofokleous 47 leading to the Theater Square. * The Pentecostal Free Apostolic Church at Sophocleous 52. * The former head office of Banque d'Orient many retail stores and restaurants.

Intersections

*Menandrou Street * Sokratous Street * Athinas Street *Strait and Filoppoimenous Street *

*Aristeidou and Pesmetzoglou Street

Notes

{{coord, 37.9811, N, 23.7268, E, source:wikidata, display=title Streets in Athens Transport in Athens