3.1 – History

The Federal District arose due to the transition of the capital of the country to the Mid-West region. The main objectives in moving the capital to the center of the country were to promote the integration of the territory, develop the interior, protect the seat of power from coastal attacks and occupy the ample open land in the central region. The movement in favor of building a new capital in the interior of the country goes back to the time of colonial Brazil, but the possibility was only strengthened during the Empire. In 1823, José Bonifácio de Andrade e Silva reinforced the proposal to transfer the capital and suggested the name “Brasilia”.

In 1883, the Italian catholic priest, Dom Bosco, told of a dream of visiting South America, which was considered a premonition of the locale where the new capital should be built:

“Between the 15 and 20 degrees there was a quite long and quite wide cove, which began at a point that formed a lake. A voice suddenly said, “When they come to excavate the hidden mines in the midst of these mountains, the promised land will appear, from which milk and honey will flow. It will be an inconceivable wealth”.

After the proclamation of the Republic, the new Federal Constitution determined, in 1891, the implantation of the capital on the Central Plain. The next year, a commission of scientists was created to explore the Central Plain and mark out the area destined to be the new capital in an expedition known as the Cruls Mission. Only in 1952 did Congress approve a law that determined that a conclusive study be performed for the edification of the new capital. The study, known as the Belcher Report, was finished in 1955 and identified an area of 52 thousand km2 for construction. The area, called the “Sítio Castanho” (Brown Site), would cover the municipalities of Formosa, Planaltina and Luziânia, in the state of Goiás, which was occupied only by farms without significant production, and two urban centers, Planaltina and Brazlândia, with a total of not more than 5,000 inhabitants scattered around the region. Finally, in 1956, the recently elected president, Juscelino Kubitschek, retook the name “Brasilia” and promoted a contest for the urban project for the new capital, which was won by Lúcio Costa. The construction of Brasilia began in October 1956 with the inauguration being on April 21, 1960.