Located in the country’s central-west region, Brasilia fuels the Brazilian dream of a utopian city: modernist architecture and organized transit. In 1960, President Juscelino Kubitschek ordered the transfer of the country’s capital here from Rio de Janeiro to fulfill an article in the constitution of moving the capital near the center, so attention will be diverted from the highly celebrated Rio.
Today, Rio’s Carnival colors still outshine Brasilia’s skylines when it comes to tourist attractions. Brasilia gives plenty of reasons why President Kubitschek should not regret his decision. For one, Brasilia is the only city in the world built in the 20th century to be regarded as a UNESCO Historical and Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This Lego City was the brainchild of urban planner Lúcio Costa, accessorized with manmade marvels cooked up by Brazilian architect, Oscar Niemeyer. Using the Brazilian central plateau of Planalto as a blank canvas, Brasilia was completely carved from scratch into an avant-garde community the world now knows as “The City of the Future.”
In downtown Brasilia, the Eixo Monumental serves as the body of Costa’s airplane design. At its end lie the Esplanada dos Ministérios, a rectangular, well-manicured lawn surrounded by commercial blocks, important government buildings and memorials.
Apart from government buildings, there is the iconic Complexo Cultural da República, the republic’s national library and museum, in itself a multi-functional art form with or without exhibits on display. Next to it is the hyperboloid Cathedral of Brasília, with its open glass roof reaching up to the heavens.
For active travelers, Lake Paranoá, an artificial reservoir that dabbles as the city’s wakeboarding and windsurfing retreat, is a great way to spend the day. The internationally-acclaimed Juscelino Kubitschek Bridge is popular among drivers, bicyclists and skaters. Its overhead steel loops attract active travelers and weekend athletes.
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