Large fountain
At the centre.
Rafael Lemieszek — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Rafael Lemieszek — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Casteliane — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Rafael Lemieszek — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Rafael Lemieszek — CC BY-SA 4.0 · copagov — CC BY-SA 2.0
Praça Raul Soares is one of Belo Horizonte's largest and best-planned squares, laid out in the French style where four major avenues meet: Amazonas, Augusto de Lima, Bias Fortes and Olegário Maciel, so that from above it looks like a circle with roads radiating out like spokes. It is named after Raul Soares de Moura, governor of Minas Gerais in the 1920s. At its centre is a large fountain surrounded by flowerbeds and paths paved in geometric patterns. Over time the square lost some of its lustre because of night-time insecurity, until it was renovated in 2008 with money from the city's participatory budgeting programme, in which residents choose their own projects, at a cost of about R$2.6 million: the fountain, flowerbeds and pavements were restored, failing trees replaced, advertising removed and access made easier for disabled people. The square is listed by the Minas Gerais heritage institute, IEPHA, and makes a short stop on a walk along Avenida Amazonas, at its best when the fountain is running. Pass through by day.
At the centre.
Geometric designs.
Four avenues.
Junction of Avenidas Amazonas, Augusto de Lima, Bias Fortes and Olegário Maciel, Belo Horizonte
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