The Place du 1er Novembre — the old Place d'Armes — is the heart of colonial-era Oran. The square is bounded on one side by the ornate Mairie (city hall) with its bronze lions, on another by the Théâtre Régional Abdelkader Alloula, and lined with cafés in the Haussmannian style. The marble and bronze monument in the centre, a relic of French Oran, was repurposed rather than demolished after independence.
Most walking tours of central Oran start here. The streets radiating out — Boulevard de l'ALN, Rue Khemisti, Rue Larbi Ben M'hidi — contain most of the city's grand 19th-century buildings.