Since its development between 1681 and 1686, the central square of Dijon has taken the form of a hemicycle of classical architecture facing the Palais des Ducs et des États de Bourgogne (Palace of the Dukes and States of Burgundy), a high place of Burgundian power. Designed by Jules-Hardouin Mansard (1646-1708), it was connected by a street to Porte Guillaume in 1721 by Martin de Noinville and refurbished in 2006 by the architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte. Symbol of the major changes in the history of France, the square bore the names of Place Royale, Place d'Armes, Place Impériale, and Place du Maréchal Pétain before being finally renamed Place de la Liberation after the Second World War.