Designed by Oscar Niemeyer, the Brasilia Palace Hotel was officially opened in June 1958. With 13.000 square metres and a capacity of 350 guests, it was the first big hotel in town. The purpose of the hotel was initially to host the delegations, who visited the revolutionary new capital city that was newly built from scratch in the middle of the rainforest. In 1978 a short-circuit destroyed a large part of the hotel and it remained closed for more than 20 years. Its reconstrcution was supervised by Oscar Niemeyer’s office and the two murals by Athos Bulcao got restored. The hotel opened again in 2006, with its rooms adjusted to modern standards, but keeping the original aesthetics alive.