Catetinho Museum

Catetinho is the small wooden building constructed to serve as the provisional seat of government during the construction and early administration of Brazil’s new capital, Brasília. It is noted for its simple, rapidly constructed timber design and its direct association with the transfer of the federal capital.

The structure now functions as a historic site illustrating the early period of Brasília’s creation and the temporary conditions of government during the move from Rio de Janeiro to the new city. Visitors see the modest scale of the building and displays about the capital’s founding.

The building was erected in the late 1950s during the period of Brasília’s planning and construction and is preserved as part of the capital’s early administrative history.

Catetinho lies within the Federal District of Brazil in the Brasília area and is accessible from the city, set amid the planned capital’s administrative zone and construction-era sites.

• Early Brasília government building: A simple, timber-built government building erected during the construction of Brasília and preserved as an early capital-era site.

• Check opening hours and any guided-tour availability for the Catetinho museum before visiting-it's a small historic site and public access can be limited.
• Combine a visit to Catetinho with other Brasília modernist sites in the same day; the site is part of the wider story of Brasília's construction and is typically visited from the city.