Brasilia is the capital of Brazil

Бразилиа - столица Бразилии См. Фото-галерею

Brasilia's design also has a mystic side to it. On Brazilian Republic Day - April 21 - the sun rises through the concrete "H" shape of the parallel twin towers which poke out of the National Congress building, provoking images of a futuristic Stonehenge. Other curious theories associate modern Brasilia with the stars, with the lost city of Atlantis and with ancient Egypt's pyramids and temples. The aerial view of the city, a winged bird shape, is vaguely reminiscent of the mystical Egyptian ibis bird, and the cemetery is laid out in the shape of a spiral - life's symbol and essential pattern.

Brasilia can be as alienating as any city and, unlike most other Brazilian cities, people here seldom stop or smile to acknowledge a fellow human being. Moreover, on some very basic points, Brasilia has certainly failed as a planned city. Forty years on, although people are certainly grumbling less about the soullessness of Brasilia, no one would dream of comparing it to Paris, London or Rio for nightlife and entertainment. Many officials still arrive for work on Monday and leave for home on Thursday because they find the city either too oppressive or just plain boring at the weekend. At the most basic level, there's a distinct lack of street-corner bars and ad hoc market places, things which provide a major social hub elsewhere in Brazil. Instead, there are simply vast areas of empty space, massive and anonymous office or hotel blocks. Despite this, however, there is a substantial middle class living and working happily in Brasilia, mostly based around the university and the civil service.

Brasilia's overriding attraction is the bizarre environment produced by its stunning architecture . The blue sky which normally hangs over the city contrasts well with the modern buildings and the deep red, dusty earth of the planalto. There are no exceptional museums or historical sites; it's the city itself that's on show, which - in many ways - is less than satisfying since, unlike other Brazilian cities, there is little human contact to be made.

It's a very strange place to tour around. To some, it appeals as a futuristic metropolis, to others it seems like an open-air prison, but perhaps the most apt comparison is with a gigantic Rodoviaria, a great concrete complex dominated by road systems. Class and race barriers do exist here, though the most obvious dividing line in Brasilia is the question of car ownership, which confers status and power. If you haven't got a car, you're part of the underclass. The open spaces are vast and daunting, and traditionally no one walks if they can help it, but on foot you can get a closer, more intimate look at the city.