Palacio da Liberdade
José de Magalhães (architect) · 1895 to 1897
At the head of the square, behind iron railings and a garden of palms and roses, stands a cream and white palace with a mansard roof and a central pavilion crowned by a dome. This is the Palacio da Liberdade, built between eighteen ninety five and eighteen ninety seven as the residence and office of the governor of Minas Gerais, and finished in time for the inauguration of the new capital in December eighteen ninety seven. It was designed by José de Magalhães, the chief architect of the commission that built the city, and its ornate facade set the tone for everything around it.
The palace is eclectic in the fullest sense. The proportions and the columns are classical, the ironwork of the balconies and the stained glass inside lean toward Art Nouveau, and the interiors were furnished over the following decades with French crystal, Italian marble and paintings by Brazilian artists. Look at the two symmetrical wings with their tall windows, and at the garden in front, which is one of the oldest planned gardens in the city and is open to visitors. The building was the seat of state power for more than a century and hosted presidents, kings and popes.
In two thousand and ten the governor moved to a new administrative city on the edge of Belo Horizonte, and the palace became a museum of itself, opened for guided visits on certain days as part of the Circuito Liberdade. Its rooms are still used for state ceremonies, so check whether it is open before you cross the square. Even from outside, it is the anchor of the whole ensemble and the best backdrop for a photograph of the palms.
Did You Know? The palace was finished in time for the inauguration of Belo Horizonte on the twelfth of December eighteen ninety seven, and it is the oldest building on the square.
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