Brasilia Travel Guide
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Fifty years ago, the spot where Brasilia now stands was nothing but cerrado -- short scrubby forest, stretching thousands of miles in every direction. That the entire city was completed in the space of just 4 years is thanks to the will of one man, former president Juscelino Kubitschek. JK (as he is known) was elected president in 1956 on the promise that he'd move the capital inland from Rio de Janeiro. Few expected JK to see it through.
The site, on Brazil's high interior plateau, was over 600km (372 miles) from the nearest paved road, 125km (78 miles) from the nearest railroad, and some 190km (118 miles) from the nearest airport. JK pressed ahead with a competition for city plans. The winning design for the master plan was submitted by architect Lucio Costa.
Costa's plan was pure architectural Modernism: Transit would be by road and car; activities were to be strictly segregated by area; residential buildings were to be identical in size and shape and appearance; in place of a grid, there were but two great intersecting streets, one straight, one slightly curved. Viewed from on high, the city looked bold and monumental -- like an airplane in flight, or an arrow shooting forward into the future.
Groundbreaking began in 1957. Thousands of workers poured in from around the country. Living conditions were frightful, but by April 21, 1960, there was enough of a city for the grand inauguration to be held. Politicians and bureaucrats began to make the long shift inland.
In years since, Brasilia has been a source of controversy. The city looks as clean and functional as Modernist planners hoped and promised, but the carefully designated use zones now feel stifling, ill-equipped to address the complexity of a true city. But if nothing else, Brasilia succeeded in shifting Brazil's focus from the coast to its vast interior.
For visitors, the attractions here are purely architectural. Brazil's best designers, architects, and artists were commissioned to create the monuments and buildings and make them beautiful. A visit to Brasilia is a chance to see and judge their success.
