LOCALHISTORYARTICLES
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MACEDONIABitola through the Centuries In the southwestern part of Macedonia, in the Pelagonija plain, between Pelister mountain and Bitola`s field on both sides of the Dragor river the city of Bitola is situated. Pelagonija has been populated since the pre-history. But for Bitola`s area history begins with the ancient city of Heraclea Lyncestis built by the Macedonian king Philip II as an important strategic center. Heraclea was built in 359 BC, but when the territory was populated with the Slavs (VI-VII c.) Heraclea ceased to exist. Slavs created their own settlement called Bitol (Bito) which was called Butelion by the Byzantines. In future all the wars and revolutions that have begun in Macedonia have pass Bitola to. A lot of nations want to have Bitola as their town but no one made it. Those were the Greeks, the Turks, the Serbians, and the Bulgarians. Bitola from the end of XIV to the beginning of XX century was under Turkish rule. The Turks then have given a new name to Bitola, Monastery. That part of Bitola`s history is the best for the town but not for the citizens. Than Bitola became a Cosmopolitan City and military importance, and the biggest cultural center of the Balkans. In the period between XVI and XVIII c. the city got another compact ethnic group the Jews and the Vlachs. But in spite of all those immigrants, Macedonians dominated in the city over all. In the World War I the town was completely destroyed. The city was nothing but ruins. World War II brought a further decline in economic activity and population. Jews were deported to concentration camp in Poland and there later destroyed. After all, Bitola has gone on with the revolutions and to the end of XIX c. became a town of consuls and a town that has grown in to a target for many conflicts of foreign interests. Today Bitola is the southernmost city in Macedonia with about 100.000 inhabitants and it is a modern, cultural and education center of Southwestern Macedonia. |
