Page 263 - DK Eyewitness Travel Guides - The World's Must-See Places

BRAZIL r--,

THE PILOT PLAN
Brasilia's design, the Pilot
Cathedral Design Plan, is based on the shape of
Oscar Niemeyer's design an airplane: the Monumental
symbolizes a crown of Axis (the fuselage) intersects
thorns, and consists of with the Residential Axis
sixteen 131-ft (40-m) high (the wings). Two main traffic
concrete columns that arteries divide the city, while
suggest arms reaching the infrastructure is strictly
toward the sky. divided into sectors.
Monumental Axis
(see inset map) ----.1.1
~ Nave
This is decorated with KEY
stained glass made 1 J.K. Memorial 9 Esplanade of the Lake
from 16 pieces of 2 Residential Axis Ministries Paranoa
painted fiberglass. Hotel SECtors 10 Palace of Justice
Suspended from 4 Commercial SECtors 11 Congress Complex
its ceiling are three 5 Embas>-y SECtors 12 Supreme Court
floating angels by the 6 Cultural sectors 13 Plaza of the Three
Brazilian sculptor 7 Natbnal Theater POV\Iers
Alfredo Ceschiatti. 8 Brasilia Cathedral 14 Planalto Palace

v Alfredo Ceschiatti's sculpture The Four
Evangelists stands outside the cathedral

Water-a recurring
theme in Brasilia-
surrounds the cathedral

v Palace of Justice
This low-rise, unimposing
v JK Memorial ~ Pulpit building tea tures water Nave>
In augur a ted in 19 81, this cascading between its delicate
monument was built to honor white arches. Nearby is a
the former Brazilian president stone sculpture of the head
Juscelino Kubitschek, whose of Juscel ino Kubitschek.
tomb is housed here. v National Congress
The juxtaposition of the dishes and twin
towers provides the dramatic, space-age
silhouette that is a symbol of the city.

Monumental Axis A
Light gilds the row of rectangular buildings standing
sentrylike along the Esplanade of the Ministries. Each one
is home to a different government department.
In the distance is the Congress Complex.