The Praça da Liberdade and its lovely gardens dotted with fountains forms the administrative heart of the city. On its south side, in line with a double row of palm trees, stands the Palácio da Liberdade, the seat of government of the state of Minas Gerais. The decoration on the building is reminiscent of the French Second Empire. On the southeast corner the graceful volutes of the Edifício Niemeyer (1954) prefigure the famous Copan (São Paulo).