Modern Architecture at Praça dos Três Poderes in Brasília, Brazil

Jan 16, 2011
Karin-Marijke Vis

Candangos at Praça dos Três Poderes, Brasília - Coen Wubbels

In the 1950s Brazil's new capital was built. Brasília is considered a modern movement in architecture and planning, visible in buildings and monuments.

Brasília is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a city like no other. In the 1950s the urban planner Lúcio Costa, architect Oscar Niemeyer and landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx created a modern city where functionality and architectural masterworks went hand in hand. Prime examples of Oscar Niemeyer's modern architecture are the government buildings in Praça dos Três Poderes, at the far end of the Eixo Monumental.

Sightseeing at Praça dos Três Poderes

Brazil's centre of government is housed in three stark yet stylish buildings in Praça dos Três Poderes. They are examples of modern architecture that fitted the futuristic vision of the 1950s. We spent one day alone around this Praça dos Três Poderes, taking in the modern architecture of buildings, stylish monuments, historic information during guided tours and in museums, and admiring the sculptures that complete the power centre of Brazil.

The three federal branches, O Congresso Nacional [legislative branch], O Palácio do Planalto [executive branch] and Supremo Tribunal Federal [judicial branch] form an equilateral triangle. This triangle is located in the "cockpit" of the airplane – as the city's design is called [O Plano Piloto] at the southeastern end of the 16 kilometres long Eixo Monumental [Monumental Axe].

To get there take a taxi, which costs about 10-15 reais from the hotel sector, or a bus that costs 2 reais from any point in the city.

O Congresso Nacional in Brasília – architecture to express power

O Congresso Nacional e Anexos [National Congress], is considered Brasília's picture postcard and one of Oscar Niemeyer's favourite designs. The two cûpulas [semi-spheres] symbolise the legislative powers of Brazil: da Câmara dos Deputados [larger, open semi-sphere] and Senado Federal [considered less important, hence a smaller, closed semi-sphere].

The two 28-floor towers are part of the congress building. Originally the Congresso had an indoor garden designed by Burle Marx, which was later replaced by a wall with azulejos [tiles] by Athos Bulção, when the garden had to make way for more space.

The congress building can be visited with a guided tour free of charge. If you need an English-speaking guide it's best to make a reservation, otherwise you'll most likely get a guide who speaks Portuguese only. The tour leads through the main hall, the blue-coloured Senate and the green-coloured House of Representatives.

Opening hours are Mon-Fri 9am-4:30pm and Sat&Sun 9am-1:30pm.

Palácio do Planalto and Supremo Tribunal Federal – details in architecture

On the westside of the plaza stands Palácio do Planalto, the presidential office. Across from it stands the Supreme Court. The sculpture of Lady Justice in front of the Supreme Court is called A Justicia, by Alfredo Ceschiatti and is made of a solid block of granite.

Between the two buildings towers Os Guerreiros, or Os Candangos, an eye-catching sculpture made by Bruno Giorgi. The sculpture pays homage to the pioneers and the candangos – the workers – who constructed and developed Brasília in its initial phase. The third sculpture on the plaza is called O Pombal, from the hand of Oscar Niemeyer, which to us it looked like a giant clothes peg.

The buildings, designed by Oscar Niemeyer, are similar in their architecture. However, note the important difference: the Supreme Court is constructed lower than the Presidential Office, symbolising that the Supreme Court should be equally accessible to everybody, whereas the Presidential Office is situated on an elevation – to reach power you have to make an effort.

Palácio de Planalto is open to visitors on Sat&Sun from 9:30am-2:30pm, with a guided tour [free of charge]. The guided tour takes half an hour and is in Portuguese. Supremo Tribunal Federal is closed to visitors.

Museums on Praça dos Três Poderes

Museo da Cidade is Brasília's oldest museum [1960]. It consists of one large marble wall and one room. The wall carries a sculpture of the head of Juscelino Kubitschek [the initiator of Brasília] in basalt. Inside and outside, texts about Brasília's mudandista movement [movement of transfer] have been carved in marble. Explanatory panels are in Portuguese, English and braille.

Museo Histórico de Brasília, or Espacio Lúcio Costa, was designed by Lúcio Costa and Oscar Niemeyer and opened in 1992. It consists of an underground room in the centre of the "cockpit". Inside you'll find a scale-model of the city as well as Lúcio Costa's drawings that led to the design of Brasília. The explanatory panels are in Portuguese only.

Both museums are free of charge and daily open from Tue-Sun 9am-6pm.

Monuments on Praça dos Tres Poderes

At the far end burns an eternal flame that was inaugurated in 1987. It was designed by Oscar Niemeyer and is a tribute to those who built the country. Next to it stands the Panteão da Pátria [1986], which was under renovation during our visit in October 2010. The building has the design of a dove and commemorates the restoration of democracy after Brazil's military dictatorship in the sixties and seventies.

In the field next to the pantheon stands Brasília's largest and tallest flag, the only construction in the plaza not designed by Niemeyer, but by Sergio Bernardes. On the first Sunday of the month a ceremonial "changing of the flag" takes place. The 24 steel flagpoles represent the 24 Brazilian states at the time of inauguration in 1972 [there are now 27 states].

Is Brasília's modern architecture worth a visit?

It took us one day just to do justice to Praça dos Três Poderes, and several other days followed to visit other monuments, architecture and religious places spread out over Brasília. We enjoyed the city and feel it deserves more than a quick one or two day visit to "do the sights".

It is said you either hate or love Brasília. To many it is a city without a heart, to others it's a prime example of modern urbanism. The best way to form an opinion is to visit Brasília for a number of days and visit this UNESCO World Heritage Site with an open mind. Don't forget to take a drive around the Eixo Monumental at night, when the buildings are beautifully illuminated.

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