JK Memorial

Memorial to the president who built Brasília

Niemeyer designed this memorial to the president who built the city, opening it in 1981. A 28-metre concrete plinth, topped with a sweeping curved shell holding a bronze statue of JK by Honório Peçanha, dominates the entrance to the Eixo Monumental at its western end.

Inside, beneath the plinth, a museum displays JK's personal effects, his presidential car, photographs of the city under construction, and his crypt — illuminated by a single red stained-glass shaft of light. A small but evocative visit, lasting around 45 minutes. Small entrance fee.

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A story
Juscelino Kubitschek (universally known as JK) campaigned in 1955 on the promise of "fifty years of progress in five" — and built Brasília from raw savannah in just 41 months to keep his word. After his death in a 1976 car crash, his body was eventually moved here to lie in state under a single bright shaft of red light from the stained glass. His widow Sarah is buried alongside.