Anyone interested in modern architecture will eventually find themselves planning a trip to Brazil’s capital city of Brasilia. Surprisingly, for a country with such ancient history, the capital is less than fifty years old! This is because it was a long-planned undertaking, requiring the efforts of determined leadership.

The original capital area of Salvador sits immediately along the coast and by the twentieth century many in the government and general population began to believe that the nation required an inland and monumental capital city in order to obtain standing as a world power. By the 1950s plans were well on the way, and in 1960 the city of Brasilia was inaugurated as the nation’s new capital.

There are strong reflections of the era’s dominant “modernist” themes everywhere the eye rests – from the overall design of the city which is in the shape of a bird or airplane divided into wings or “axis” where specific functions take place, to the beautiful parks and public works of art. Thousands of visitors come to admire the buildings and design of the city.

Most visitors take the time to tour the buildings of the Eixo Monumental (the Monumental Axis) that contains the city’s government buildings. These are not simplified brick and mortar structures for the daily functions of the administration however, but a collection of various “palaces” and squares. Visitors can enjoy viewing the Square of the Three Powers, which contains the Congress, Presidential Palace and the Supreme Court. The remarkable Palace of Justice, with waterfalls softening its geometrical form is also in the “Axis”, the Brasilia Cathedral formed by ninety ton concrete pillars is one of the most sought out sights along the thoroughfare, and Television Tower continually provides a panoramic view of the entire capital to those who take a trip to its peak.

Traveling outward into the “wings” of the bird or plane configuration of the city means entering into the less formal areas, containing the city’s shops, restaurants, residences, and entertainment options for its roughly 3.5 million inhabitants and many visitors. It is within these areas that the many hotels and accommodations are available, and at HotelsCombined.com a visitor can choose from the incredible assortment of options and locations in the unique city.

Outside of the formally designed areas are still plenty of interesting sights. For example the bridges leading to Paranoa Lake are themselves works of modernist art and architecture. There are many incredible parks that surround the capital city including the Brasilia National Park, Poco Azul, and the Parque da Cidade.