Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Brasília
1
Brasília is the embodiment in concrete of erstwhile
President Juscelino Kubitschek's promise of “fifty years
of economic and social development in five,” and of the
national motto - Order and Progress. The city was built
by vast teams of
candangos
, workers from the Northeast,
who carved it from the
cerrado
at breakneck speed.
They were led by urban planner Lúcio Costa, architect
Oscar Niemeyer
,
and landscape engineer Roberto Burle
Marx
(see p295)
. The capital of Brazil shifted from Rio
de Janeiro to Brasília on April 21, 1960. Brasília was
added to UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites in 1987
as an example of daring urban planning and
modern architecture. Today, Brasília is a stately,
organized city, albeit a little quiet.
View of the Eixo Monumental
from atop the TV Tower at dusk
Memorial dos Povos
Indígenas
is fashioned
like a
maloca
, a tra-
ditional longhouse. It
is a tribute to Brazil's
indigenous peoples.
TV Tower
is the best
place to get a bird's-eye
view of the city. The
observation deck is on
top of the 426-ft (75-m)
high building.
Quartel
General
do Exército
PARQUE SARA
KUBITSCHEK
0 meter
s
250
0 yards
250
EIXO MONUMENTAL
The Eixo Monumental, Brasília's main thoroughfare, forms the
centerpiece of the city. Kubitschek stands at one end of the Eixo,
waving from his towering Modernist column to the seat of govern-
ment, the Congresso Nacional and Palácio do Planalto, which sit
around the Praça dos Trés Poderes
.
Many of Brazil's most famous
architects and sculptors
were involved in its construction.
Memorial Juscelino
Kubitschek
Built in honor of the
president responsible for the
construction of Brasília,
this monument contains
his mausoleum, with
photographs of, and
documents about, the
construction of the city.
Quartel General do Exército
This fusion of curves, straight lines, and jagged waves echoes
the Congress complex and is the headquarters of the Brazilian
army - at times the key player in affairs of state.
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp384-5 and p409
