Vasilissis Sofias Avenue () is a major avenue in the east side of the center 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 Greek may refer to: 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 of all kno ...

capital. The avenue was originally part of the

Kifisias Avenue Kifisias Avenue () is one of the longest and busiest avenues in Athens, Greece, containing the headquarters of many Greek and foreign companies and organizations. Description The total length of the Kifisias Avenue is about 20 km, beginn ...

. The part from

Syntagma Square Syntagma Square (, , "Constitution Square") is the central square of Athens, Greece. The square is named after the Greek Constitution of 1844, Constitution that Otto of Greece, Otto, the first King of Greece, was obliged to grant after a popular a ...

to the intersection with

Alexandras Avenue Alexandra's Avenue (Greek: Λεωφόρος Αλεξάνδρας ''Leoforos Alexandras'') is a main east–west thoroughfare running from Patission Street/28 October Street and Kifissias Avenue in the northern part of the center of Athens, Gr ...

was renamed after Queen Sophia, the consort of

King Constantine I Constantine I (, romanized: ''Konstantínos I''; – 11 January 1923) was King of Greece from 18 March 1913 to 11 June 1917 and again from 19 December 1920 to 27 September 1922. He was commander-in-chief of the Hellenic Army during the unsu ...

. The avenue begins at the intersections of Amalias Avenue and

Panepistimiou Street Panepistimiou Street (, "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 vehicles since 2002 from Vasilissis Amalias ...

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

Old Royal Palace The Old Royal Palace ( ''Palaiá Anáktora'') is the first royal palace of modern Greece. It is neoclassical building situated at the heart of modern Athens, facing onto Syntagma Square. It was constructed between 1836 and 1843 to serve as th ...

(today housing the

Greek Parliament The Parliament of the Hellenes (), commonly known as the Hellenic Parliament (), is the unicameral legislature of Greece, located in the Old Royal Palace, overlooking Syntagma Square in Athens. The parliament is the supreme democratic instit ...

) and the

National Gardens of Athens The National Garden (), called the 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 Pangrati, directly behind the Greek Parliament building (The Old ...

, 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-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 bo ...

-now the

Byzantine and Christian Museum The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

, the mansion of

business magnate A business magnate, also known as an industrialist or tycoon, is a person who is a powerful entrepreneur and investor who controls, through personal enterprise ownership or a dominant shareholding position, a firm or industry whose goods or ser ...

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 in Athens that 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 Gree ...

), 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 () is a rapid transit system serving the Athens urban area in Greece. Line 1 opened as a single-track conventional steam railway in 1869 and was electrified in 1904. Beginning in 1991, Elliniko Metro S.A. constructed and ext ...

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 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 (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and the

Greek Civil War The Greek Civil War () took place from 1946 to 1949. The conflict, which erupted shortly after the end of World War II, consisted of a Communism, Communist-led uprising against the established government of the Kingdom of Greece. The rebels decl ...

, 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

* Amalias Avenue and

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

, north * Solonos Street, north * Koubari and

Herodou Attikou street Herodou Attikou Street or Irodou Attikou Street (, ) is located east of downtown Athens and is adjacent to the National Garden of Athens. The street is named after the ancient Athenian rhetorician, magnate and major benefactor of the Roman era, ...

s * Ploutarchou and Rizari Streets * Marasli Street *

Vasileos Konstantinou Avenue Vasileos Konstantinos Avenue (), ''Leoforos Vasileos Konstantinou'', "King Constantine Avenue") is one of Athens' major thoroughfares running from the Panathinaiko Stadium (also known as the Kalimarmaro Stadium) at Herodou Attikou Street to the Hi ...

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

Kifissias Avenue Kifisias Avenue () is one of the longest and busiest avenues in Athens, Greece, containing the headquarters of many Greek and foreign companies and organizations. Description The total length of the Kifisias Avenue is about 20 km, beginn ...

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 Athens, Greece. The museum houses Greek works of art from the prehistorical to the modern ...

* Stathatos Mansion, part of the

Athens War Museum The Athens War Museum () is the military museum of the Greek Armed Forces. It is located at the Athens city center and it is served by the Athens Metro station of Evangelismos. Established in 1975, the museum hosts collections that span the ...

National Gallery (Athens) The National Gallery (, ''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 to the 20th century. The newly reno ...

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 i ...

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 o ...

Institutions *

* Offices of the EU in Athens * National Research Institute *

Embassy of Argentina, Athens A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually denotes a ...

* Embassy of France, Athens * Embassy of Serbia, Athens * Embassy of the United Kingdom, Athens *

Embassy of the United States, Athens The Embassy of the United States in Athens (Greek: Πρεσβεία των Ηνωμένων Πολιτειών στην Αθήνα. romanization: ''Presveía ton Inoménon Politeión stin Athína'') is the embassy of the United States in Greece, ...

* 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 a ...

Hospitals * Aretaieion Hospital *

Alexandra Hospital Alexandra Hospital (AH) is a district general hospital located in Queenstown, Singapore, Queenstown, Singapore that provides Acute care, acute and community care under the National University Health System#Alexandra Hospital, National University ...

* Ippokrateion Hospital Hotels *

Hilton Athens The Ilisian is a redevelopment of the historic Athens Hilton hotel, set to open in 2025. It is located in Athens, Greece, on Vassilissis Sofias Avenue, within the Hilton Area, adjacent to the Kolonaki and Pangrati neighbourhoods. Opened in 1963 ...

History

Intersections

Major buildings on Vassilissis Sofias Avenue

See also