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Brazilian National Congress  — DF
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Art, Theaters and Museums 📍 DF, Brazil 106 views

Brazilian National Congress

This futuristic ensemble is the parliament of Brazil. The right-side up saucer contains the Senate, while the upside down saucer is the seat of the Chamber of Deputies. The two skyscrapers house the offices of bureaucrats, senators and deputies. If it’s true that ingenuity lies i...

Photo · Malaika S.

Brazilian National Congress — DF, Brazil.

Location
DF
Type
Art, Theaters and Museums
Opening hours
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About Brazilian National Congress

Brazilian National Congress  - DF | Secret World Trip Planner

This futuristic ensemble is the parliament of Brazil. The right-side up saucer contains the Senate, while the upside down saucer is the seat of the Chamber of Deputies. The two skyscrapers house the offices of bureaucrats, senators and deputies. If it’s true that ingenuity lies in simplicity, we should prostrate before Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer. His parliament building, called the Brazilian National Congress, is simple, elegant and efficient.

It is under these domes that deputies and senators discuss the forthcoming World Cup of Soccer and the Rio Olympic Games.

Obviously it doesn’t make sense for senators and deputies to debate in such hermetic buildings. Actually they don’t; the two domes are symbols more than anything else. The two parliamentary assemblies are partially underground. The dome that opens to the sky symbolizes the deputies’ openness to the people, while the upside down dome symbolizes reflection.

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    Brazilian National Congress
    📍 DF
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    📍 2 km away

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Frequently Asked Questions

The Brazilian National Congress, designed by renowned architect Oscar Niemeyer, features a futuristic design with two distinctive domes: a right-side up saucer housing the Senate and an upside-down saucer containing the Chamber of Deputies. The building also includes two tall office skyscrapers for bureaucrats, senators, and deputies, exemplifying Niemeyer's philosophy that ingenuity lies in simplicity.
No, the iconic domes are primarily symbolic rather than functional meeting spaces. The two parliamentary assemblies are actually located partially underground, with the dome opening to the sky symbolizing the deputies' openness to the people, while the inverted dome represents reflection and contemplation.
Oscar Niemeyer, a legendary Brazilian architect, designed this parliament building as a masterpiece of elegant and efficient architecture. It represents the height of modernist design and has become an iconic symbol of Brazil's governance and architectural innovation on the world stage.
The Brazilian National Congress is where deputies and senators debate important national matters, including major events like the FIFA World Cup of Soccer and the Rio Olympic Games. These discussions shape Brazil's policy and international standing regarding major sporting events.
Visitors should pay attention to the contrasting symbolic domes—the open dome representing democratic transparency and public accessibility, and the inverted dome symbolizing thoughtful deliberation. The two office towers and the overall futuristic ensemble demonstrate how functional government architecture can also be a work of art.

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