VIRTUAL MACEDONIA - BITOLA
Bitola is the second largest town in Macedonia, situated in the
southern part of Pelagonija Valley
, on the upper flow on the both sides of the river Dragor, at an
altitude of 600 meter height above the sea level. On
the west, near the town, is the Baba Mountain with the magnificent
Mount Pelister (2601 m), a National
Park with exquisite flora and fauna, and a well-known ski resort.
The city is an important junction, connecting the South of the
Adriatic Sea with the Aegean Sea and Central Europe.
Spreading on a area of 1.798 sq. km. and with a population of
122,173 (1991), Bitola is an important industrial, agricultural,
commercial, educational, and cultural center. The second
Macedonian university
is located here. One of the oldest and best theater companies
in the country comes from Bitola. The "Bitola" Mining
and Energy Combine provides about 80% of the electric energy in
Macedonia and the "Pelaginija" Agricultural and Industrial
Combine is the largest in Macedonia. There are also industrial
facilities for production of food, textiles, household appliances,
and leather that are located here.
Beside Salonika, Bitola was the center of the Macedonian revolutionary activities, and in 1893 a group of Macedonian intellectuals led by Dame Gruev formed the so called Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (MRO). The Bitola Revolutionary Group became the main bastion of the Macedonian National Liberation Movement, and ten years later, it became a torch of the famous Ilinden Uprising. However, the consequences of the Ilinden Uprising, the Balkan Wars, the World War I, and especially the newly established borders, stopped the natural connections with the Balkan centers, and at the same time, caused new miseries and sufferings among the population in this region. Bitola has had its revival after the World War II liberation from the Nazi occupation forces on November, 4, 1944. During its post-war development, the town has gained its modern physiognomy which matches the rich building tradition from the past centuries.
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Traditionally a strong trading center, Bitola is also known as
a town of the consuls. At one time during the Ottoman rule, there
were 12 consulates stationed there. There were a number of schools
in the town, a military academy (the famous Turkish reformer Kemal
Ataturk was educated there), as well as many other cultural associations
which were established at that time.
