History

For many centuries created and destroyed, occupied but never really defeated. The times changed, the years and centuries, the millennia passed by, different events laid on top of each other, different people one after the other and yet always close one to the other.

Concealed in the bosom of the Pelister Mountain it waves and whispers its eternal, timeless story. Quietly as it caresses, speaks every single word without disturbing the moment of the eternal existence that consists of everything: the birth, the death, creation and disappearance, and so on endlessly…For many centuries created and destroyed, occupied but never really defeated. The times changed, the years and centuries, the millennia passed by, different events laid on top of each other, different people one after the other and yet always close one to the other.

Genesis of Bitola

Following the historic facts about the creation and existence of the settlements in this region we will have to go way back where even that sentence in the stories “Once upon a time…” has real meaning and content.

The oldest Neolithic sites discovered in the Pelagonia Valley speak about an extremely long continuity of the existence of life in the region. The achievements in the sphere of the material culture of the Neolithic men speaks about his high sensibility and balance between his inner spiritual life and his “real” material world.

Ottoman rule

The coming of the Turkish conquerers to the Balkans, announced a new era of life. The Turkish army during 1382/3, after many hard and bloody battles, and after an extremely violent resistance by the local population, finally managed to conquer Bitola. According to some of the legends, the priests from the seventy monasteries and churches that in the same period existed in Bitola gave a very violent resistance to the Turkish soldiers. Hadji Evronos Bej, who led the Turkish army ordered his army to destroy the fortress of Bitola because of this violent resistance.

Balkan wars

The first Balkan War forever ended the five-century-long Turkish ruling of Bitola and Macedonia. But the light of the liberation was not yet to come because one slavery was exchanged with the other. Proclaiming themselves liberators, the Serbian army very soon showed their real territorial aspirations. With the separation of Macedonia and the setting of the borders with Greece, it came to stagnation and gradually diminished the trade relations that Bitola used to have with Thessalonica and other European centres. Again, quickly one occupation was exchanged with the other. But this time the Serbian short-term occupation in 1915 after the beginning of the First World War was exchanged with the Bulgarian.

First and Second World War

The Bulgarian occupations endured in Bitola only one year, and in 1916 Bitola once more, fell under the authority of the Antanta (Italy, England, Russia and Serbia). The army of the alliance in this period occupied the city putting the front line against the Central Forces, near Bitola. This way once more Bitola remained in the centre of the events, and in the middle of the war and terror.

Bitola after the liberation

With the ending of the Second World War it came to the dramatic changes in all the aspects of human life. The long expected liberation finally arrived in Bitola, and the many years of wars finally ended.

In this period the foundations of a new socialist society was set. The agricultural reforms and the nationalization of the private properties began as well, so the centralised system of governance was established. But the negative consequences of these changes were felt very soon, so some legislative changes were made to overcome the negative outcome.