Bitola

Bitola (/ˈbiːtoʊlə, -tələ/;[3] Macedonian: Битола [ˈbitɔɫa] (About this soundlisten)) is a city in the
southwestern part of North Macedonia. It is located in the southern part of the Pelagonia valley,
surrounded by the Baba, Nidže and Kajmakčalan mountain ranges, 14 kilometres (9 miles)
north of the Medžitlija-Níki border crossing with Greece. The city stands at an important junction
connecting the south of the Adriatic Sea region with the Aegean Sea and Central Europe, and is
an administrative, cultural, industrial, commercial, and educational centre. It has been known
since the Ottoman period as "The City of The Consuls", since many European countries had
consulates in Bitola.

Bitola, known during the Ottoman Empire as Manastir or Monastir, is one of the oldest cities in
North Macedonia. It was founded as Heraclea Lyncestis in the middle of the 4th century BC by
Philip II of Macedon. The city was the last capital of Ottoman Rumelia, from 1836 to 1867.
According to the 2002 census, Bitola is the second-largest city in the country.[4] Bitola is also
the seat of the Bitola Municipality.

Contents
1 Etymology
2 Geography
3 Climate
4 History
4.1 Prehistory
4.2 Ancient and early Byzantine periods
4.3 Middle Ages
4.4 Ottoman rule
4.5 Ilinden Uprising
4.6 Balkan Wars
4.7 World War I
4.8 Inter-war period
4.9 World War II
5 Main sights
5.1 Širok Sokak
5.2 Clock Tower
5.3 Church of Saint Demetrius
5.4 Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart
5.5 Heraclea Lyncestis
5.6 The covered bazaar
5.7 Gazi Hajdar Kadi Mosque
5.8 Jeni Mosque
5.9 Ishak Çelebi Mosque
5.10 Kodža Kadi Mosque
5.11 The old bazaar
5.12 Deboj Bath
6 Bitola today
6.1 Media
7 City Council
8 Sports
9 Demography
10 Culture
11 Education
12 People from Bitola
13 Twin towns — sister cities
14 Gallery
15 References
15.1 Bibliography
Etymology
The name Bitola is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word ѡ҆би́тѣл҄ь (obitěĺь, meaning
"monastery, cloister") as the city was formerly noted for its monastery. When the meaning of the
name was no longer understood, it lost its prefix "o-".[5] The name Bitola is mentioned in the
Bitola inscription, related to the old city fortress built in 1015 during the ruling of Gavril Radomir
of Bulgaria (1014–1015) when Bitola served as capital of the First Bulgarian Empire. Modern
Slavic variants include the Macedonian Bitola (Битола), the Serbian Bitolj (Битољ) and
Bulgarian Bitolya (Битоля). In Byzantine times, the name was Hellenized to Voutélion
(Βουτέλιον) or Vitólia (Βιτώλια), hence the names Butella used by William of Tyre and Butili by
the Arab geographer al-Idrisi. The Aromanian name is Bituli.

The Modern Greek name for the city (Monastíri, Μοναστήρι), also meaning "monastery", is a
calque of the Slavic name. The Turkish name Manastır (Ottoman Turkish: ‫ )مناستر‬is derived from
the Greek name, as is the Albanian name (Manastir), and the Ladino name (‫ מונאסטיר‬Monastir).

Geography
Bitola is located in the southwestern part of North Macedonia. The Dragor River flows through
the city. Bitola lies at an elevation of 615 meters above sea level, at the foot of Baba Mountain.
Its magnificent Pelister mountain (2601 m) is a national park with exquisite flora and fauna,
among which is the rarest species of pine, known as Macedonian pine or pinus peuce. It is also
the location of a well-known ski resort.

Covering an area of 1,798 km2 (694 sq mi). and with a population of 122,173 (1991), Bitola is
an important industrial, agricultural, commercial, educational, and cultural center. It represents
an important junction that connects the Adriatic Sea to the south with the Aegean Sea and
Central Europe.