A personal selection of photographs with their stories.
367: Pink winter blossom
Praça da Liberdade in Belo Horizonte is one of the most popular locations for both tourists and belohorizontinos. The big square is decorated as a park, and is cut in the middle by a cobble-stone-paved lane flanked by tall imperial palm trees. The square is surrounded by historical buildings that once were part of the state government. The main building is the governmental palace, that is still in use. The other buildings have been transformed into cultural centers and museums. The former Secretariate of Treasury (Secretária da Fazenda) is transformed into Memorial Minas Gerais-Vale. A museum – maintained and sponsored by Vale Company – that represents the history and heritage of the state of Minas Gerais. In winter, the ipê rosa (Handroanthus heptaphyllus), or Black Lapacho blooms with bunches of bright pink tubular flowers, which creates a colorful contrast with pale yellowish plaster of the historic building, with the 1897 cornerstone that marked the start of the construction of Belo Horizonte.
© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2012, 2017