Oran's major plaza, the Place 1 Novembre, is the perfect expression of French rule in Oran. The city's main gathering place (called pl Napoleon, pl d'Armes and pl Maréchal Foch at different times in its past), it has a baroque theatre on one side and the city hall on the other, which was the city's main gathering place. In the middle of the plaza stands an obelisk topped with a Winged Victory, built by French sculptor Dalou in 1898.

The original work honoured the French soldiers who died at the battle of Sidi-Brahim in 1845. After sovereignty the French statue was replaced by busts of the Sufi saint Moulay Abdelkader. The city hall, which Camus thought exaggerated, has a wonderful onyx staircase and restored painted ceilings (you can generally walk in if the door is open). It is a short stroll from here to the Promenade Ibn Badis, the front de mer, created in 1847 with outstanding views of the seaport and old town.