Aleksanterinkatu

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Aleksanterinkatu/Alexandersgatan

Aleksanterinkatu (Swedish Alexandersgatan) is a street in the centre of Helsinki, Finland. In the city plan by Carl Ludvig Engel, it was the Decumanus Maximus, the main east-west street in the city, crossing the Cardo, Unioninkatu (Union Street) at the corner of the Senate Square.

The street begins near the Presidential Palace and continues to meet with Mannerheimintie, the longest street in Helsinki. It runs past several famous buildings, such as Ritarihuone (the seat of Finnish nobility), the Helsinki Cathedral, the Finnish main office of the Nordea bank, the main building of the University of Helsinki, and the Stockmann department store.

The street, colloquially known in Helsinki as "Aleksi", is named after tsar Alexander I of Russia. It was originally named Suurkatu (Swedish: Storgatan), meaning "Grand Street", but was renamed after the Emperor's death in his honour. The streets crossing Aleksanterinkatu are named after the Emperor's mother, his brothers, and his sisters.

Christmas lights on Aleksanterinkatu.

At Christmas time, Aleksanterinkatu is traditionally decorated with elaborate Christmas lights.

The tram lines 3T, 4 and 7A run along Aleksanterinkatu. Of these, 4 is the only line that runs along the street's entire length.

Aleksanterinkatu is also the name of the main street of another Finnish city, Lahti. There's also an Aleksanterinkatu in Tampere and Oulu, which are major streets.