Brasília’s Metropolitan Cathedral

— An architectural marvel, Brasília stands out with its modern buildings. Everything about the city was planned. Its location was decided to be in the center of Brazil in order to provide a fair distance to all other major cities. The city plan was inspired by an airplane design, and from above one can see an east-to-west axis with governmental buildings and monuments. The buildings were designed by famous architect Oscar Niemeyer, who also designed the United Nations buildings. The cathedral is a hyperboloid structure constructed from 16 concrete columns, weighing 90 tons each. They symbolically appear to be hands reaching to the skies. Most of the cathedral floor is underground, and visitors enter from the outside plaza via a tunnel leading into this open glass space.