Aiolou Street (also Eolou Street; el, Οδός Αιóλου) is a street in downtown

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 ...

, 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. It is named after

Aeolus In Greek mythology, Aeolus or Aiolos (; grc, Αἴολος , ) is a name shared by three mythical characters. These three personages are often difficult to tell apart, and even the ancient mythographers appear to have been perplexed about which A ...

, the god of winds in

Greek mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the Cosmogony, origin and Cosmology#Metaphysical co ...

. The street is one-way and originally ran entirely southbound but since the closure of

Athinas Street Athinas Street ( el, Οδός Αθηνάς) is a street in downtown Athens in Greece. It is named after Athena, the goddess of wisdom. The street runs from Ermou Street north to Omonoia Square through the Psiri neighborhood. Its total length ...

in the late-1990s as part of the renovation plan, the part north of Lykourgou Street is one-way northbound. The street begins in Pelopidas Street further south of

Ermou Street Ermou Street ( el, Οδός Ερμού, ''Odos Ermou'', "Hermes Street") is a one and a half kilometer-long road in central Athens, Greece, connecting Kerameikos archaeological site with the Syntagma Square through Monastiraki, Psiri and Thiseio. ...

and ends in

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 ...

(Eleftheriou Venizelou Avenue) and north of this street is 28 Oktovriou or

Patission Street Patission Street ( el, Οδός Πατησίων) is one of the major streets in central Athens, Greece. Though it is known as Patission, its name for its stretch between Panepistimiou Street and Amerikis Square, was changed to 28 October Street, ...

History

The street was first laid in the 19th century and was the first street in Athens to be paved. Neoclassical buildings were built then as well and are still present today in the southern and the central part of the street. 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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

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 ...

, modern eight to ten storey buildings were built in the northern part and traffic lights were installed on Adrianou, Ermou, Evrypidou, Sofokleous, Stadiou and Panepistimiou/28 Oktovriou (Patission) intersections. The blocks around the intersection with Stadiou Street are traditionally called the ''Hafteia'', so named after a popular 19th-century ''kafeneíon'' owned by a certain Mr. Haftis; the ''Hafteia'' were the very heart of downtown Athens market for the 19th and the better part of the 20th century.

Intersections

*Pelopidou Street * Adrianou Street - east *Pandrosou Street * Mitropoleos Street *

*Hagias Eirinis and Athenaidos Streets *Voreou Street - west *Kolokotroni Street - walkway *Miltiadou Street - east *Vyssis Street - west *Sosipyliotissis Street * Evripidou Street *

Sofokleous Street Sofokleous Street (, ''Odos Sofokleous'') is a street in the downtown part of Athens, the Greek capital. It is named after the ancient Greek tragedian Sophocles. The street runs from Pireos Street and ends short from Stadiou Street at Pesmazoglo ...

*Eupolidos and I. Stavrou Streets * Lykourgou Street - west * Stadiou Street *

and

External links

Photos of Aiolou street
{{coord, 37, 58, 43, N, 23, 43, 41, E, type:landmark_source:kolossus-frwiki, display=title Streets in Athens

History

Intersections

See also

External links