Panorama of the Brasília skyline

From left to right:

• Theater: Teatro Nacional Cláudio Santoro
• Ministeries: Esplanada dos Ministérios
• Cathedral: Catedral Metropolitana Nossa Senhora Aparecida
• Museum: Museu Nacional Honestino Guimarães
• Library: Biblioteca Nacional de Brasília Leonel de Moura Brizola
• Banco do Brasil headquarters
• Busstation: Rodoviária do Plano Piloto

Cláudio Santoro National Theater

The Cláudio Santoro National Theater (Teatro Nacional Cláudio Santoro) is a multi-theater building in Brasília, Brazil. It was designed by Oscar Niemeyer in the Modern architectural style. Construction began on July 30, 1960, and the building was completed in 1966. Built in the shape of a truncated pyramid, it is the largest building in Brasilia designed by Niemeyer specifically for the arts. The building was closed for renovation in 1976, and was reopened on April 21, 1981.

The National Theater is operated by Secretary of Culture of the Federal District and is home to three venues; the 60-seat Alberto Nepomuceno theater, the 407-seat Martins Pena theater, and the 1,407 seat Villa-Lobos theater. The complex also includes an exhibition gallery that is accessible to the public.

Construction of the theater was started on July 30, 1960. The building was structurally complete by January 30, 1961, but construction was then interrupted until early 1966. The Martins-Pena theater was opened on April 21, 1966, and was used for ten years until it was closed on September 4, 1976 during completion of the complex.

Construction was completed by March 1979, and the Villa-Lobos theatre was opened with a concert conducted by Cláudio Santoro. The Martins-Pena theater was reopened on March 7, and the Alberto Nepomuceno theatre was opened on March 8. On December 1, 1979, the entire complex was closed again to complete renovations, and construction began on an annex which would include offices, rehearsal rooms, and galleries.

The complex was reopened on April 21, 1981, and an annex was opened on June 24, 1981. The theatre was renamed Claudio Santoro National Theater on September 1, 1989, in honor of the Brazilian composer and violinist.

See: wikipedia

Monumental Axis

The Monumental Axis ("Eixo Monumental" in Portuguese) is a central avenue in Brasília's city design.

The avenue begins on the National Congress of Brazil building and is considered part of the DF-002 road. Its first section is known as "Ministries Esplanade" ("Esplanada dos Ministérios"), as it is surrounded by ministries buildings. Many important government buildings, monuments and memorials are located on the Monumental Axis.

A common urban legend persists that the Monumental Axis is the widest road in the world, where "[100 to 160] cars can drive side by side". This is untrue, as the road consists of two avenues with six lanes on either side; a total of twelve lanes. However, the street has been featured in the Guinness Book of Records as having the widest central reservation of a dual carriageway in the world.

See: wikipedia

Cathedral of Brasília

The Cathedral of Brasília (Catedral Metropolitana Nossa Senhora Aparecida- "Metropolitan Cathedral of Our Lady of Aparecida") is the Roman Catholic cathedral serving Brasília, Brazil, and serves as the seat of the Archdiocese of Brasília. It was designed by Oscar Niemeyer, and was completed and dedicated on May 31, 1970. The cathedral is a hyperboloid structure constructed from 16 concrete columns, weighing 90 tons each.

In the square access to the cathedral, are four 3-meter tall bronze sculptures representing the four Evangelists created by sculptor Dante Croce in 1968. A 20-meter tall bell tower containing four large bells donated by Spanish residents of Brazil and cast in Miranda de Ebro also stands outside the cathedral, to the right as visitors face the entrance. At the entrance of the cathedral is a pillar with passages from the life of Mary, mother of Jesus, painted by Athos.

A 12-meter wide, 40-centimeter deep reflecting pool surrounds the cathedral roof, helping to cool the cathedral. Visitors pass under this pool when entering the cathedral.

The baptistry is to the left of the entrance, and can be entered either from the cathedral or via a spiral staircase from the entrance plaza. The walls of the oval baptistery are covered in ceramic tiles painted in 1977 by Athos Bulcão. Offices for the Archdiocese of Brasilia were completed in 2007 next to the cathedral. The 3,000-square-metre building connects directly to the cathedral underground.

Visitors enter into the cathedral through a dark tunnel and emerge into a bright space with a glass roof. The outer roof of the cathedral is composed of sixteen pieces of fiberglass, each 10 meters wide at the base and 30 meters long inserted between the concrete pillars. Under this is suspended a 2,000-square-meter stained glass work originally created in 1990 by Marianne Peretti, in shades of blue, green, white, and brown.

Inside the cathedral over the nave are sculptures of three angels, suspended by steel cables. The shortest is 2.22 meters long and weighs 100 kilograms, the middle one 3.4 meters long and weighs 200 kilograms, and the largest is 4.25 meters long and weighs 300 kilograms. The sculptures are by Alfredo Ceschiatti, with the collaboration of Dante Croce in 1970. The altar was donated by Pope Paul VI and the image of the patron saint Our Lady of Aparecida is a replica of the original which is in Aparecida - São Paulo. The Way of the Cross is a work of Di Cavalcanti.

The Cathedral of Brasilia, officially the Metropolitan Cathedral of Our Lady of Aparecida (Catedral Metropolitana Nossa Senhora Aparecida), dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary under her title of Our Lady of Aparecida, proclaimed by the Church as Queen and Patroness of Brazil, was designed by the architect Oscar Niemeyer.

This concrete-framed hyperboloid structure, appears with its glass roof to be reaching up, open, to heaven. Most of the cathedral is below ground, with only the 70-meter diameter 42-meter roof of the cathedral, the ovoid roof of the baptistry, and the bell tower visible above ground. The shape of the roof is based in a hyperboloid of revolution with asymmetric sections. The hyperboloid structure consists of 16 identical concrete columns assembled on site. These columns, having hyperbolic section and weighing 90 tonnes, represent two hands moving upwards to heaven.

The cornerstone was laid on September 12, 1958, and the structure was finished on April 21, 1960, with only the roof structure visible above ground. Once the presidential term of Juscelino Kubitschek ended, the big push to finish many structures in Brasilia stalled. Although it is likely that Kubitschek intended the cathedral as an "ecumenical cathedral" to be paid for by the state and open to all faiths, governments after that did not provide funding, and the building was eventually turned over to the Catholic Church to complete. The cathedral was consecrated on October 12, 1968 (still with no roof), and was officially opened by Cardinal D. Eugenio Salles on May 31, 1970. The ovoid baptistry was dedicated on October 5, 1977, and the cathedral was declared a national historic and artistic monument on July 15, 1990.

The cathedral sees some 1,000,000 visitors each year.

See: wikipedia

National Museum Honestino Guimarães

The National Museum Honestino Guimarães is a Brazilian museum in Brasília. The name was given in memory Honestino Guimarães.

The museum, which has a dome shape, and the National Library Leonel de Moura Brizola, were designed by the Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer and was inaugurated on 15 of December of 2006, on the day that the architect celebrated its 99 birthday.

The museum has an area of ​​14,500 square meters and was opened with an exhibition on the work of Niemeyer, "Niemeyer & Niemeyer and Brasília - World Heritage".

The museum and the library form the João Herculino Cultural Complex of the Republic.

See: wikipedia

Biblioteca Nacional de Brasília Leonel de Moura Brizola

The Brasilia National Library (BNB) or National Brasilia Leonel de Moura Brizola Library is a library Brazil, in the city of Brasilia and is part of the Republic Cultural Complex located on the Esplanade of Ministries.

The National Library of Brasilia (BNB) was conceived in the original plan of Brasilia, signed by Lúcio Costa in the late 50s of last century, when the town planner designed the federal capital with Oscar Niemeyer and other architects. The first attempts of the actual creation date back to Decree No. 927-A of 27 April 1962, signed by Prime Minister Tancredo Neves, from the Ministry of Education and Culture, which was commissioned to study measures necessary for the creation, organization and installation of the Library. The decree states, in its first lines, the impossibility of the capital of the Republic without the services of a national library.

The building of the National Library of Brasilia was delivered to the population at the end of 2006, however, without the right conditions for its operation. The project required a process of planning and installation that led to the opening to the public on December 12, 2008.

See: wikipedia

Banco do Brasil

Banco do Brasil S.A. (English: Bank of Brazil) is the largest Brazilian and Latin American bank by assets, and the third by market value. The bank, headquartered in Brasília, was founded in 1808 and is the oldest active bank in Brazil, and one of the oldest banks in continuous operation in the world. It is not the country's central bank.

Banco do Brasil is controlled by the Brazilian government but its stock is traded at the São Paulo Stock Exchange and its management follows standard international banking practices (Basel Accords). Since 2000 it is one of the four most-profitable Brazilian banks (the others being Itaú Unibanco, Bradesco, and Santander Brasil) and holds a strong leadership position in retail banking.

Banco do Brasil was founded by then prince regent John (later King John VI of Portugal) to finance the kingdom's public debt when he moved from Europe to Brazil, in 1808. It went bankrupt two times in history: one at independence in 1821, when John VI returned to Portugal taking with him some of the bank's assets, and the second in 1898.

From 1821 to 1964 Banco do Brasil had sometimes performed tasks that exceeded its role as a traditional commercial bank, issuing currency, having the monopoly of currency exchange transactions and serving as National Treasury holder for the government. Such tasks were gradually given to other governmental institutions, mainly with the creation of the Central Bank of Brazil in 1964 and the separation from the National Treasury in 1987.

From 1992 onwards it was restructured as a commercial bank, using its huge geographic distribution and credit assets to leverage its redesign as a "normal" bank. In the process, tens of thousands of workers were laid off.

After decades of losses financed by the public treasury, the bank became very profitable and is one of the key structures used by the government to finance public programs, like DRS (Sustainable Regional Development).

In November 2013, The Banker ranked Banco de Brasil as the top bank in Brazil based on Tier 1 capital.

See: wikipedia

Rodoviária do Plano Piloto

The main city bus terminal of the Federal District receives about 700,000 passengers per day. In addition to the bus lines circulating within the limits of the Federal District, the terminal also receives long-distance lines, linking Brasilia to neighboring municipalities in Goiás.

It also contains the Central Station of the Brasilia Metro.

See: wikipedia

Garden of the Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil, Brasília

Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil

The Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil (CCBB, in English: Bank of Brazil Cultural Center) is a cultural organization of the Banco do Brasil based in Brazil with centers in Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia, São Paulo and Belo Horizonte.

The CCBB began in 1986. It opened in Rio de Janeiro in 1989, Brasilia in 2000, São Paulo in 2001 and Belo Horizonte in 2013. Its three centers in Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia, and São Paulo are among the top hundred most visited art museums in the world. In 2013, the three centers combined had 4.4 million visitors: 2,034,397 visitors in Rio de Janeiro, 1,468,818 visitors in Brasilia, and 931,639 visitors in São Paulo.

The largest of the CCBB institutions is located in Rio de Janeiro, in an art-deco building designed by Francisco Joaquim Bethencourt da Silva. Similar in size is the São Paulo institution, designed in the same style by Hippolyto Pujol. The smallest of the three complexes the Brasilia branch, designed by Alba Rabelo Cunha. Both the Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo branches contain theatres, cinemas, and multiple art galleries.

See: wikipedia

Esplanada dos Ministérios, Brasília

Monumental Axis

The Monumental Axis ("Eixo Monumental" in Portuguese) is a central avenue in Brasília's city design.

The avenue begins on the National Congress of Brazil building and is considered part of the DF-002 road. Its first section is known as "Ministries Esplanade" ("Esplanada dos Ministérios"), as it is surrounded by ministries buildings. Many important government buildings, monuments and memorials are located on the Monumental Axis.

A common urban legend persists that the Monumental Axis is the widest road in the world, where "[100 to 160] cars can drive side by side". This is untrue, as the road consists of two avenues with six lanes on either side; a total of twelve lanes. However, the street has been featured in the Guinness Book of Records as having the widest central reservation of a dual carriageway in the world.

See: wikipedia

Panorama of Museu Nacional de Brasília

National Museum Honestino Guimarães

The National Museum Honestino Guimarães is a Brazilian museum in Brasília. The name was given in memory Honestino Guimarães.

The museum, which has a dome shape, and the National Library Leonel de Moura Brizola, were designed by the Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer and was inaugurated on 15 of December of 2006, on the day that the architect celebrated its 99 birthday.

The museum has an area of ​​14,500 square meters and was opened with an exhibition on the work of Niemeyer, "Niemeyer & Niemeyer and Brasília - World Heritage".

The museum and the library form the João Herculino Cultural Complex of the Republic.

See: wikipedia

Honestino Guimarães

Honestino Monteiro Guimarães (Itaberaí - Goiás, March 28, 1947 - circa October 10, 1973) was a Brazilian student leader. The Geology student, was president of the Student Federation of the University of Brasilia (FEUB). Because of his activism in the student movement he was arrested four times. After his fourth arrest in 1973, he never returned. His death certificate was handed over his family in 1996, twenty three years later and was still incomplete: the cause of death was not in the document.

He was officially pardoned only on September 20, 2013, when also his death certificate was completed, making clear that his death was caused by acts of violence suffered while in custody of the Brazilian State.

The case Honestino was under investigation by the Brazilian Truth Commission, which investigates deaths and disappearances that occurred during the Brazilian military dictatorship.

See: wikipedia

Inside of the Cathedral of Brasília

Cathedral of Brasília

The Catedral Metropolitana Nossa Senhora Aparecida (Metropolitan Cathedral of Our Lady of Aparecida) is the Roman Catholic cathedral serving Brasília, Brazil, and serves as the seat of the Archdiocese of Brasília. It was designed by Oscar Niemeyer, and was completed and dedicated on May 31, 1970. The cathedral is a hyperboloid structure constructed from 16 concrete columns, weighing 90 tons each.

A 20-meter tall bell tower containing four large bells, donated by Spanish residents of Brazil and cast in Miranda de Ebro, stands outside the cathedral.

Visitors enter into the cathedral through a dark tunnel and emerge into a bright space with a glass roof. The outer roof of the cathedral is composed of sixteen pieces of fiberglass, each 10 meters wide at the base and 30 meters long inserted between the concrete pillars. Under this is suspended a 2,000-square-meter stained glass work originally created in 1990 by Marianne Peretti, in shades of blue, green, white, and brown.

Inside the cathedral over the nave are sculptures of three angels, suspended by steel cables. The shortest is 2.22 meters long and weighs 100 kilograms, the middle one 3.4 meters long and weighs 200 kilograms, and the largest is 4.25 meters long and weighs 300 kilograms. The sculptures are by Alfredo Ceschiatti, with the collaboration of Dante Croce in 1970.

The altar was donated by Pope Paul VI. The image of the patron saint Our Lady of Aparecida is a replica of the original which is in Aparecida - São Paulo. The Way of the Cross is a work of Di Cavalcanti.

The Cathedral of Brasilia, officially the Metropolitan Cathedral of Our Lady of Aparecida (Catedral Metropolitana Nossa Senhora Aparecida), dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary under her title of Our Lady of Aparecida, proclaimed by the Church as Queen and Patroness of Brazil, was designed by the architect Oscar Niemeyer.

This concrete-framed hyperboloid structure, appears with its glass roof to be reaching up, open, to heaven. Most of the cathedral is below ground, with only the 70-meter diameter 42-meter roof of the cathedral, the ovoid roof of the baptistry, and the bell tower visible above ground. The shape of the roof is based in a hyperboloid of revolution with asymmetric sections. The hyperboloid structure consists of 16 identical concrete columns assembled on site. These columns, having hyperbolic section and weighing 90 tonnes, represent two hands moving upwards to heaven.

The cornerstone was laid on September 12, 1958, and the structure was finished on April 21, 1960, with only the roof structure visible above ground. The cathedral was consecrated on October 12, 1968 (still with no roof), and was officially opened by Cardinal D. Eugenio Salles on May 31, 1970. The ovoid baptistry was dedicated on October 5, 1977, and the cathedral was declared a national historic and artistic monument on July 15, 1990.

The cathedral receives 1,000,000 visitors each year.

See: wikipedia

Cathedral of Brasília

Cathedral of Brasília

The Catedral Metropolitana Nossa Senhora Aparecida (Metropolitan Cathedral of Our Lady of Aparecida) is the Roman Catholic cathedral serving Brasília, Brazil, and serves as the seat of the Archdiocese of Brasília. It was designed by Oscar Niemeyer, and was completed and dedicated on May 31, 1970. The cathedral is a hyperboloid structure constructed from 16 concrete columns, weighing 90 tons each.

A 20-meter tall bell tower containing four large bells, donated by Spanish residents of Brazil and cast in Miranda de Ebro, stands outside the cathedral.

Visitors enter into the cathedral through a dark tunnel and emerge into a bright space with a glass roof. The outer roof of the cathedral is composed of sixteen pieces of fiberglass, each 10 meters wide at the base and 30 meters long inserted between the concrete pillars. Under this is suspended a 2,000-square-meter stained glass work originally created in 1990 by Marianne Peretti, in shades of blue, green, white, and brown.

Inside the cathedral over the nave are sculptures of three angels, suspended by steel cables. The shortest is 2.22 meters long and weighs 100 kilograms, the middle one 3.4 meters long and weighs 200 kilograms, and the largest is 4.25 meters long and weighs 300 kilograms. The sculptures are by Alfredo Ceschiatti, with the collaboration of Dante Croce in 1970.

The altar was donated by Pope Paul VI. The image of the patron saint Our Lady of Aparecida is a replica of the original which is in Aparecida - São Paulo. The Way of the Cross is a work of Di Cavalcanti.

The Cathedral of Brasilia, officially the Metropolitan Cathedral of Our Lady of Aparecida (Catedral Metropolitana Nossa Senhora Aparecida), dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary under her title of Our Lady of Aparecida, proclaimed by the Church as Queen and Patroness of Brazil, was designed by the architect Oscar Niemeyer.

This concrete-framed hyperboloid structure, appears with its glass roof to be reaching up, open, to heaven. Most of the cathedral is below ground, with only the 70-meter diameter 42-meter roof of the cathedral, the ovoid roof of the baptistry, and the bell tower visible above ground. The shape of the roof is based in a hyperboloid of revolution with asymmetric sections. The hyperboloid structure consists of 16 identical concrete columns assembled on site. These columns, having hyperbolic section and weighing 90 tonnes, represent two hands moving upwards to heaven.

The cornerstone was laid on September 12, 1958, and the structure was finished on April 21, 1960, with only the roof structure visible above ground. The cathedral was consecrated on October 12, 1968 (still with no roof), and was officially opened by Cardinal D. Eugenio Salles on May 31, 1970. The ovoid baptistry was dedicated on October 5, 1977, and the cathedral was declared a national historic and artistic monument on July 15, 1990.

The cathedral receives 1,000,000 visitors each year.

See: wikipedia

La Casa Rosada (Buenos Aires)

La Casa Rosada

The Pink House is the executive mansion and office of the President of Argentina. The palatial mansion is known officially as Casa de Gobierno, ("House of Government" or "Government House"). Normally, the President lives at the Quinta de Olivos, the official residence of the President of Argentina, which is located in Olivos, Buenos Aires Province. The characteristic color of the Casa Rosada is baby pink, and is considered one of the most emblematic buildings in Buenos Aires. The building also houses a museum, which contains objects relating to former presidents of Argentina. It has been declared a National Historic Monument of Argentina.

History

The Casa Rosada sits at the eastern end of the Plaza de Mayo, a large square which since the 1580 foundation of Buenos Aires has been surrounded by many of the most important political institutions of the city and of Argentina. The site, originally at the shoreline of the Río de la Plata, was first occupied by the "Fort of Juan Baltazar of Austria", a structure built on the orders of the founder of Buenos Aires, Captain Juan de Garay, in 1594. Its 1713 replacement by a masonry structure (the "Castle of San Miguel") complete with turrets made the spot the effective nerve center of colonial government. Following independence, President Bernardino Rivadavia had a Neoclassical portico built at the entrance in 1825, and the building remained unchanged until, in 1857, the fort was demolished in favor of a new customs building. Under the direction of British Argentine architect Edward Taylor, the Italianate structure functioned as Buenos Aires' largest building from 1859 until the 1890s.

The old fort's administrative annex, which survived the construction of Taylor's Customs House, was enlisted as the Presidential offices by Bartolomé Mitre in the 1860s and his successor, Domingo Sarmiento, who beautified the drab building with patios, gardens and wrought-iron grillwork, had the exterior painted pink reportedly in order to defuse political tensions by mixing the red and white colours of the country's opposing political parties: red was the color of the Federales, while white was the color of the Unitarians. An alternative explanation suggests that the original paint contained cow's blood to prevent damage from the effects of humidity. Sarmiento also authorized the construction of the Central Post Office next door in 1873, commissioning Swedish Argentine architect Carl Kihlberg, who designed this, one of the first of Buenos Aires' many examples of Second Empire architecture.

Presiding over an unprecedented socio-economic boom, President Julio Roca commissioned architect Enrique Aberg to replace the cramped State House with one resembling the neighboring Central Post Office in 1882. Following works to integrate the two structures, Roca had architect Francesco Tamburini build the iconic Italianate archway between the two in 1884. The resulting State House, still known as the "Pink House", was completed in 1898 following its eastward enlargement, works which resulted in the destruction of the customs house.

A Historical Museum was created in 1957 to display presidential memorabilia and selected belongings, such as sashes, batons, books, furniture, and three carriages. The remains of the former fort were partially excavated in 1991, and the uncovered structures were incorporated into the Museum of the Casa Rosada. Located behind the building, these works led to the rerouting of Paseo Colón Avenue, unifying the Casa Rosada with Parque Colón (Columbus Park) behind it. Plans were announced in 2009 for the restoration of surviving portions of Taylor's Customs House, as well.

See: wikipedia

Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after Greater São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the continent's southeastern coast. The Greater Buenos Aires conurbation, which also includes several Buenos Aires Province districts, constitutes the third-largest conurbation in Latin America, with a population of around fifteen and a half million.

The city of Buenos Aires is neither part of Buenos Aires Province nor the Province's capital; rather, it is an autonomous district. In 1880, after decades of political infighting, Buenos Aires was federalised and removed from Buenos Aires Province. The city limits were enlarged to include the towns of Belgrano and Flores; both are now neighborhoods of the city. The 1994 constitutional amendment granted the city autonomy, hence its formal name: Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires (Autonomous City of Buenos Aires). Its citizens first elected a Chief of Government (i.e. Mayor) in 1996; before, the Mayor was directly appointed by the President of the Republic.

Buenos Aires is, along with Mexico City and São Paulo, one of the three Latin American cities considered an 'alpha city' by the study GaWC5. Buenos Aires, Argentina has the third best quality of life of Latin American cities. Buenos Aires' quality of life is ranked 81st in the world, with its per capita income among the three highest in the region. It is the most visited city in South America (ahead of Rio de Janeiro) and the second most visited city across Spanish Latin America (behind Mexico City). It is also one of the most important, largest and most populous of South American capitals, often referred to as the Paris of South America.

Buenos Aires is a top tourist destination, and is known for its European-style architecture and rich cultural life, with the highest concentration of theatres in the world. Buenos Aires held the 1st Pan American Games in 1951 and the city also had two venues in the 1978 FIFA World Cup. Buenos Aires will host the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics.

People from Buenos Aires are referred to as porteños (people of the port). The city is the birthplace of pope Francis (former Archbishop of Buenos Aires), and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands.

See: wikipedia

Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (MNBA) in Buenos Aires

Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (MNBA)

The National Museum of Fine Arts is an Argentine art museum in Buenos Aires, located in the Recoleta section of the city.

History

Argentine painter and art critic Eduardo Schiaffino was the first director of the MNBA, which opened on 25 December 1895 in a building on Florida Street which today houses the Galerías Pacífico shopping mall. In 1909 the museum moved to a building in Plaza San Martín, originally erected in Paris as the Argentine Pavilion for the 1889 Paris exhibition, and later dismantled and brought to Buenos Aires. In its new home the museum became part of the International Centenary Exhibition held in Buenos Aires in 1910. Following the demolition of the Pavilion in 1932 as part of the remodelling of Plaza San Martín, the museum was transferred to its present location in 1933, a building originally constructed in 1870 as a drainage pumping station and adapted to its current use by architect Alejandro Bustillo.

The museum was modernized both physically and in its collections during the 1955–64 tenure of director Jorge Romero Brest. A temporary exhibits pavilion was opened in 1961, and the museum acquired a large volume of modern art though its collaboration with the Torcuato di Tella Institute, a leading promoter of local, avant-garde artists, and elsewhere; a Contemporary Argentine Art pavilion was later opened in 1980. This 1,536 square metres hall is the largest of 34 currently in use at the museum, which totals 4,610 square metres of exhibit space. Its permanent collection totals 688 major works and over 12,000 sketches, fragments, potteries and other minor works. The institution also maintains a specialized library, totalling 150,000 volumes, as well as a public auditorium.

The ground floor of the museum holds 24 exhibit halls housing a fine international collection of paintings from the Middle Ages up to the 20th century, together with the museum's art history library. The first floor's 8 exhibit halls contain a collection of paintings by some of the most important 20th-century Argentine painters, including Antonio Berni, Ernesto de la Cárcova, Benito Quinquela Martín, Eduardo Sívori, Alfredo Guttero, Raquel Forner, Xul Solar and Lino Enea Spilimbergo. The second floor's two halls, completed in 1984, hold an exhibition of photographs and two sculpture terraces, as well as most of the institution's administrative and technical departments.

See: wikipedia, mnba

Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after Greater São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the continent's southeastern coast. The Greater Buenos Aires conurbation, which also includes several Buenos Aires Province districts, constitutes the third-largest conurbation in Latin America, with a population of around fifteen and a half million.

The city of Buenos Aires is neither part of Buenos Aires Province nor the Province's capital; rather, it is an autonomous district. In 1880, after decades of political infighting, Buenos Aires was federalised and removed from Buenos Aires Province. The city limits were enlarged to include the towns of Belgrano and Flores; both are now neighborhoods of the city. The 1994 constitutional amendment granted the city autonomy, hence its formal name: Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires (Autonomous City of Buenos Aires). Its citizens first elected a Chief of Government (i.e. Mayor) in 1996; before, the Mayor was directly appointed by the President of the Republic.

Buenos Aires is, along with Mexico City and São Paulo, one of the three Latin American cities considered an 'alpha city' by the study GaWC5. Buenos Aires, Argentina has the third best quality of life of Latin American cities. Buenos Aires' quality of life is ranked 81st in the world, with its per capita income among the three highest in the region. It is the most visited city in South America (ahead of Rio de Janeiro) and the second most visited city across Spanish Latin America (behind Mexico City). It is also one of the most important, largest and most populous of South American capitals, often referred to as the Paris of South America.

Buenos Aires is a top tourist destination, and is known for its European-style architecture and rich cultural life, with the highest concentration of theatres in the world. Buenos Aires held the 1st Pan American Games in 1951 and the city also had two venues in the 1978 FIFA World Cup. Buenos Aires will host the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics.

People from Buenos Aires are referred to as porteños (people of the port). The city is the birthplace of pope Francis (former Archbishop of Buenos Aires), and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands.

See: wikipedia

Cachoeira do Jenipapo

Babaçulândia

Babaçulândia is a municipality Brazil's state of Tocantins. It has an area of 1916.4 km², and its estimated population in 2004 was 10,888 inhabitants.

History

The village of Babaçulândia emerged in 1926, when Henrique Brito settled on the left bank of the Tocantins River. The first name of the village was Nova Aurora do Coco, because the amount of coconut babaçu which was in the region, thereafter being referred to simply as Coco.

The council was installed on January 1 of 1954, and was separated from the municipality of Tocantinópolis.

Geography

Confined to the north with the municipalities of Darcinópolis and Wanderlândia, the south, with the city of Filadélfia, the east with the state of Maranhão, and the west with Araguaína.

His most important landforms are the Ilha São José, and the rivers Tocantins and Rio Corrente.

Tourism

The beaches the Tocantins River are source of income of local population. There are other tourist attractions in the city such as the Waterfall Jenipapo, and the Serra da Matança, where there is a shelter under rock used by Krahô Indians as a refuge in the nineteenth century, among other sights that are rarely visited.

See: wikipedia

Panorama in Colonia, Uruguay

Colonia del Sacramento

Colonia del Sacramento (formerly the Portuguese Colónia do Sacramento) is a city in southwestern Uruguay, by the Río de la Plata, facing Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is one of the oldest towns in Uruguay and capital of the Colonia Department. It has a population of around 27,000.

It is renowned for its historic quarter, a World Heritage Site. Modern Colonia del Sacramento produces textiles and has a free trade zone, in addition to a polytechnic centre and various government buildings.

History

Founded in 1680 by Portugal as Colónia do Sacramento, the colony was later disputed by the Spanish who settled on the opposite bank of the river at Buenos Aires. The colony was conquered by José de Garro in 1680, but returned to Portugal the next year. It was conquered again by the Spanish in March 1705 after a siege of five months, but given back in the Treaty of Utrecht. Another attack during the Spanish-Portuguese War, 1735-1737, failed.

It kept changing hands from crown to crown due to treaties such as the Treaty of Madrid in 1750 and the Treaty of San Ildefonso in 1777, until it remained with the Spanish. It then transferred to Portuguese control again, being later incorporated into Brazil after 1816, when the entire Banda Oriental (Uruguay) was seized by the government of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves and renamed the Cisplatina province.

On 10 January 1809, before the independence of Uruguay, it was designated as a "Villa" (town) and has since been elevated to the status of "Ciudad" (city).

Since independence Colonia del Sacramento has expanded to the north and east, but the original Barrio Histórico (historic quarter) retains its irregular, terrain-fitting street plan built by the Portuguese, contrasting with the wider, orthogonal calles in the newer Spanish area.

See: wikipedia

Panorama of Plaza Mayor, 25 de Mayo, Colonia, Uruguay

Colonia del Sacramento

Colonia del Sacramento (formerly the Portuguese Colónia do Sacramento) is a city in southwestern Uruguay, by the Río de la Plata, facing Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is one of the oldest towns in Uruguay and capital of the Colonia Department. It has a population of around 27,000.

It is renowned for its historic quarter, a World Heritage Site. Modern Colonia del Sacramento produces textiles and has a free trade zone, in addition to a polytechnic centre and various government buildings.

History

Founded in 1680 by Portugal as Colónia do Sacramento, the colony was later disputed by the Spanish who settled on the opposite bank of the river at Buenos Aires. The colony was conquered by José de Garro in 1680, but returned to Portugal the next year. It was conquered again by the Spanish in March 1705 after a siege of five months, but given back in the Treaty of Utrecht. Another attack during the Spanish-Portuguese War, 1735-1737, failed.

It kept changing hands from crown to crown due to treaties such as the Treaty of Madrid in 1750 and the Treaty of San Ildefonso in 1777, until it remained with the Spanish. It then transferred to Portuguese control again, being later incorporated into Brazil after 1816, when the entire Banda Oriental (Uruguay) was seized by the government of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves and renamed the Cisplatina province.

On 10 January 1809, before the independence of Uruguay, it was designated as a "Villa" (town) and has since been elevated to the status of "Ciudad" (city).

Since independence Colonia del Sacramento has expanded to the north and east, but the original Barrio Histórico (historic quarter) retains its irregular, terrain-fitting street plan built by the Portuguese, contrasting with the wider, orthogonal calles in the newer Spanish area.

See: wikipedia

Municipalidad de Colonia, Uruguay

Colonia del Sacramento

Colonia del Sacramento (formerly the Portuguese Colónia do Sacramento) is a city in southwestern Uruguay, by the Río de la Plata, facing Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is one of the oldest towns in Uruguay and capital of the Colonia Department. It has a population of around 27,000.

It is renowned for its historic quarter, a World Heritage Site. Modern Colonia del Sacramento produces textiles and has a free trade zone, in addition to a polytechnic centre and various government buildings.

History

Founded in 1680 by Portugal as Colónia do Sacramento, the colony was later disputed by the Spanish who settled on the opposite bank of the river at Buenos Aires. The colony was conquered by José de Garro in 1680, but returned to Portugal the next year. It was conquered again by the Spanish in March 1705 after a siege of five months, but given back in the Treaty of Utrecht. Another attack during the Spanish-Portuguese War, 1735-1737, failed.

It kept changing hands from crown to crown due to treaties such as the Treaty of Madrid in 1750 and the Treaty of San Ildefonso in 1777, until it remained with the Spanish. It then transferred to Portuguese control again, being later incorporated into Brazil after 1816, when the entire Banda Oriental (Uruguay) was seized by the government of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves and renamed the Cisplatina province.

On 10 January 1809, before the independence of Uruguay, it was designated as a "Villa" (town) and has since been elevated to the status of "Ciudad" (city).

Since independence Colonia del Sacramento has expanded to the north and east, but the original Barrio Histórico (historic quarter) retains its irregular, terrain-fitting street plan built by the Portuguese, contrasting with the wider, orthogonal calles in the newer Spanish area.

See: wikipedia

Panorama of Río de la Plata

Río de la Plata

The Río de la Plata (River of Silver) — usually rendered River Plate in British English and the Commonwealth, and occasionally rendered [La] Plata River in other English-speaking countries — is the estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River on the border between Argentina and Uruguay. It is a funnel-shaped indentation on the southeastern coastline of South America, about 290 kilometres long.

The Río de la Plata widens from about 2 kilometres at the inner part to about 220 kilometres at its mouth. It forms part of the border between Argentina and Uruguay, with the major ports and capital cities of Buenos Aires and Montevideo on its western and northern shores, respectively. The coasts of the Río de la Plata are the most densely populated areas of Argentina and Uruguay.

See: wikipedia

Panorama of Mural on Praça Rio Iguaçu, Curitiba

Praça Rio Iguaçu

Since December 1994, when it was inaugurated, the Praça Rio Iguaçu, which is situated in the Civic Centre, has its petit pavé pavement with a green lawn, and a murAL. Homage to the city of Curitiba by the artist Rogério Dias was inaugurated in December 1996. Engravings depict those that populated hinterlands of Paraná near the Iguaçu River, since 1935. Tributary of the river is the largest in the state of Paraná that since 1891, carrying wood and yerba mate.

See: lucianoramos

Oscar Niemeyer Museum, Curitiba

Oscar Niemeyer Museum

The Oscar Niemeyer Museum is located in the city of Curitiba, in the state of Paraná, in Brazil. It was inaugurated in 2002 with the name Novo Museu or New Museum. With the conclusion of remodeling and the construction of a new annex, it was reinaugurated on July 8, 2003, with the current denomination to honor its famous architect who completed this project at 95 years of age. It is also known as Museu do Olho or Museum of the Eye, due to the design of the building.

The museum focuses on the visual arts, architecture and design. For its magnificence, beauty and for the importance of the collection, it represents a cultural institution of international significance. The complex of two buildings, installed in an area of 35 thousand square meters (of which 19 thousand are dedicated to exhibition space), it is a true example of architecture allied with art. The first building was designed by Oscar Niemeyer in 1967, faithful to the style of the time, and conceived as an educational institute. It was remodeled and adapted to function as a museum, for which Niemeyer designed the annex, reminiscent of an eye, imprinting it with a new characteristic identity.

The museum features many of Niemeyer's signature elements: bold geometric forms, sculptural curved volumes placed prominently to contrast with rectangular volumes, sinuous ramps for pedestrians, large areas of white painted concrete, and areas with vivid murals or paintings. A collaborator previously on Ibirapuera Park with landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx, Niemeyer's namesake museum is also within a garden designed by Burle Marx, and that within 144 thousand square meters of woodland. Though rooted in modern architecture since his involvement in the international style, Niemeyer's designs have much in common with postmodern architecture as well and this is as contemporary a building as the artwork it displays.

See: wikipedia

Panorama of Teatro Guaíra, Curitiba

Teatro Guaíra

The Teatro Guaíra Cultural Centre is a state-run cultural institution located in Curitiba, Paraná.

Its building, located at Santos Andrade square, shelters about three thousand seats in three different auditoria, being one of the largest Concert Halls in Latin America.

Some of the artists' groups maintained by Teatro Guaíra Culture Centre are: the Symphony Orchestra of Paraná, the "Balé Teatro Guaíra" (dance company) and the "Teatro de Comédia do Paraná" (theater group).

See: wikipedia

Poty Lazzarotto

Napoleon Potyguara Lazzarotto, better known as Poty (Curitiba, March 29, 1924 — Curitiba, May 8, 1998) was a Brazilian artist. His murals - often made of ceramic tiles- can be seen in many locaties of Brazil as well as in Portugal, France and Germany.

Nonetheless, most of Poty's works were done in his hometown: Curitiba. Therefore, the artist mosaics, spread out through the capital of Paraná, are among the main icons of the city.

See: wikipedia

Panorama of Universidade de Paraná, Curitiba

Federal University of Paraná

The Federal University of Paraná is a public university headquartered in Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.

Nowadays, its facilities are scattered over the capital Curitiba and other cities of the State of Paraná. It offers 124 undergraduate degree courses, 44 doctorate, 66 masters and 5 professional masters programs, apart from a number of lato sensu programs (mostly paid one-year specializations) - see Higher-ed degrees in Brazil. Since 2004, the University has been adopting in its vestibular a program in which twenty percent of the spots offered are destined to students coming from public schools and another twenty percent are reserved for Afro-Brazilians.

UFPR ranks among the 651-700 best universities in the world and 37th best in Latin-America, according to QS World University Rankings. It is placed as the 9th best in the country in the latest "Ranking Universitário Folha (RUF)", published by the nation's largest newspaper.

History

In 1892, José Francisco da Rocha Pombo, an intellectual of the state of Paraná would have initiated the construction of the University, but his project was frustrated by the Federalist Movement.

Twenty years later, Paraná had a reduced number of intellectuals (nine doctors and four engineers), but it was in true development because of the production of the yerba mate.

Moreover, at this time, the Contestado War appeared as an incentive to the efforts of political leaderships concerning the creation of a university. In this context, Victor Ferreira do Amaral, deputy and director of public instruction of Paraná, started the effective creation of the University.

On December 19, 1912 the University was established and, in 1913, it has initiated its activities as a private institution in an old building situated on Comendador Araújo street. The first courses offered were Juridical and Social Sciences, Engineering, Medicine and Surgery, Commerce, Dentistry, Pharmacy and Obstetrics. After the establishment of the University, Victor Ferreira do Amaral, who was also its first president, initiated the construction of a central building in a land donated by the municipal government.

Due to the economic recession caused by the World War I, difficulties started to appear. In 1920, a federal law determined the closing of all universities. In a contradictory measure, the federal government created the Universidade do Rio de Janeiro, currently Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro). The alternative to this law was to split the UFPR in several colleges.

Throughout several years, efforts in order to restore the university took place. Only in the beginning of the fifties the colleges were reunited once again in the University of Paraná, its federalization happening just after that, in 1951, when the university became a public and free-of-charge institution.

After its federalization, a process of expansion began with the construction of the Clinic's Hospital (Portuguese: Hospital de Clínicas da Universidade Federal do Paraná) in 1953, the Reitoria Campus in 1958 and the Polytechnic Center in 1961.

Historical Building

The construction placed in the Santos Andrade Square began to be built in 1913, being a project of the military engineer Baeta de Faria. Its inauguration occurred in 1915.

Seven years later, in 1923, two lateral parts were added, according to the original project. The building of the right sector was ended in 1925 and was designated to the Engineering graduation course. In the following year, the left sector had been finalized and it passed to serve the Dentistry course. Other additions were made to the right side of the building and it has received in its totality new paint in 1940. The building was extended towards XV de Novembro Street and, in 1952, new works in the right section led to the demolition of part of the lateral façade built in 1940.

In 1954, the building occupied a whole block between the Santos Andrade Square, XV de Novembro Street, Presidente Faria Street and Alfredo Bufren Lane. The last modifications were made: a new façade with several columns and a wide set of staircases were projected and the covered dome was eliminated. The inauguration of the neoclassical, 17,000 square meter building, took place in 1955.

In the year on 1999, the mayor of Curitiba signed a law that made this building the official symbol of the city.

See: wikipedia