Vassilissis Sofias Avenue

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Vassilissis Sofias Avenue or Vasilissis Sofias Avenue (Greek: Λεωφόρος Βασιλίσσης Σοφίας Leoforos Vassilissis Sofias) is a major avenue in the east side of Athens, the Greek capital. The avenue is named after Queen Sophia the consort of King Constantine I. The avenue begins at the intersections of Amalias Avenue and Panepistimiou Street and ends by Alexandras, Kifissias and Mesogeion Avenues as well as Feidippou Street. Its length is approximately 3 km. A part is part of the old GR-1 and a branch of GR-54.

The avenue passes through north of the Greek Parliament Building (Vouli) and the Old Royal Palace as well as the National Gardens of Athens, the Byzantine Museum, the War Museum, a small forest area, the Athens Hilton Hotel, Hospital Aretaeion, Hospital Alexandra and the Hospital Ippokrateion. One square nearby is Mavilis Square by D. Soutsou Street.

The westbound lanes turns into Amalias Avenue and Panepistimiou Streets and the northbound of Amalias turns into Vasileias Sofias Avenue and Panepistimiou Streets, there is no traffic flow from the eastbound of Panepistimiou Street because it is one way westbound and since the 2000s, transit traffic are excluded.

[edit] History

The avenue was first paved in the 20th century and added trolley lanes by the ends of the avenue. It added neo-classical buildings by the avenue. After World War II and the Greek Civil War, it added modernistic eight to ten storey buildings in most of the intersection mainly the north and traffic lights and street lights were later installed. The today's Vassilias Sofias Avenue has in the west side four lanes westbound and two lanes eastbound and further, the rest of the avenue has three lanes with a bus lane and an intersection by Vassiliou Konstantinou Avenue and Vasileiou Alexandrou Street. Street lights were reinstalled several times especially in the mid-1990s.