| Page Views: 23,070 Last Visit to Bitola: June, 2008 I Live Here | Bitola Baban BItola...... by MacedonianUK - last update: Sep 19, 2009 |
City of Consuls and bohemian life Bitola, is the second largest City in Republic of Macedonia, and after Ohrid, I think one of the prittiest.
Bitola has electric mix of OttomanTurkish, Bisantium Ortodox, Old Macedonian and French Mediteranian Arhitecture.
The biggest church in Bitola, build in the XVIIIcentury is Sveti Dimitrija, stone trow from the famous Clock tower.
The story of the clock tower is strange as is funny and beautiful.
Aparently when the Valija (Turkish Major of the city) dicaded to build the clock tower to anounce his wealth and presitige, but he couldn't reise the stucture more than 10meters off the ground.
Every day the builders were building the tower and every nite it was crumbling.
So they dicaded to consult the Imam, fearing that is the work of dark magic. Imam's answer was to collect 26.000 egss from white hens and add them to the mortar when sealing the granite stones.
And that was done to the letter.
Sveti Dimitrija is build with the money donated Esnafi societies.
Esnafi, are group of people witch represent specific trade,like woodcarving,goldsmiths,ironmongers,shoemakers,terzii (clothesmakers). In 1700s Bitola had about 1200 esnafi, who were divaded in apropriate parts of the old Charshija or bazzar.
There are only two such bazzars on the Balkans one in Sarajevo the famouse "Bash carshija" and the one in Bitola on the smaller scale.
Also the Market in Bitola to this day has parts of it called by the produce that was sold there, like At pazar(horse market), drven pazar(wood market), mast pazar(oil and lard market)and so on.
Aslo in Bitola we have few Karavan Saraii and Anovi.
And Bitola, beeing important political and economic City on the Balkans, hence opening of around 15 Consulates.
But strangely enough the French had the biggest influence on the town.
It is said tha in the end of the XIX and begining of the XX century Bitola had Fench Licei (school) and about 1000 pianos and 100 French guvernats, who were looking after the childern of the wealthier Bitola residents.
And most of them continued their schooling in Marselles or Vienna and Graz.
During the Ottomans, one rule when building churchs applied and was rigorously oserved.
No other religious building can't be bigger and higher than Mosque.
Altought Sveti Dimitrija church is beautifull with ist frescoes and specilay with the woodcarved altar(and is fetured in the opening scene of the "Peacemaker"film with Clooney and Kidman)
Isaac Mosque (build in 1506AD) remains the tallest and biggerst religious object in use in Bitola.
Unfortunatly all the rest of the 36 mosques and 16 teke's in Bitola are in disrepair (smallest ones) and the biggerst one (Yeni Mosque) is preserved and used as galery of the City of Bitola. |
|  | Bitola's past is chequered.
It was burned nearly to the ground in the 1700s, devasteted by earthqake, in the WWI, place of bloody battles, (Solunski front; where the Serb and French armies fouth the Germans and Bulgarinas) but also place visited by famous people who spend time in the City.
Evlija Celebija, the Turkish travel writer, came and spend some time in the city, Vagner, lived in the city for two years,(there is the memorial house), Dr Rudolph Archibald Reiss (famous Swiss doctor and father of forensic medicine) lived here and also fought with the Serb army during the WWI.
When he died, his last wish was for his hart to be burried on Kajmakcalan Mnt. near Bitola in the little church on the very top, where is ossuary of Serbian solders .
Sarah Bernhardt spend 3 months in Bitola, entertaing the French troups in 1918 on invitation of the French comanding general & the Serbian King Alexandar.
Atought severly disabled and in weelchair, she refused to live the totaly bombed to the ground city, and keep all her scheduled preformances at the Bitola Teater.
Also Branislav Nushic (famous Serbian comedies writer) was Consul General of the Kingdom of Serbia in the city from begining of the XX century.
Manaki brothers, who are regarded as first cinematographers on the Bakans are from Bitola, and when they finished their studies in France, they come back to the city and brought with them the first film camera (Bioscope 200)wich they purchised in London in 1905, and with it captured the visit of the last Sultan to Bitola in 1910, visits of King Alexandar & King Petar of Serbia in 1913.
And last but not least, Mustafa Kemal-Attaturk, was Oficer in the Bitola Garison and he started his Young Turks Revolution from here.
So here is the short and interesting history of my birthplace.
I do hope you came and visit."Shirok sokak " the heart of BitolaShirok sokak is the heart of Bitola. Place where old and young get together to spend the eavnings out.Visit Bitola |
| Isaac Mosque from 1506 and 21st century building |
| | Past and prsent in the same ritam Around every corner and on every street there is evidence of the chekered past of Bitola.
Together and entvined they are responsible for the todays look of the City.
Isaac Mosque build in 1506 by Isaac Kadi (Judge) one of the nicest Ottoman building on the Balkans
TOURIST INFORMATION OFFICE
st. Sterjo Georgiev no. 1,
7000 Bitola
Tel: +389 47 241-641
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| Pros: | "Bitola is never boring, always suprising and alive." | | Cons: | "Not enough accomodation for budget travelers and bad connection with Greece altought is only 15km from Greece border.But not by Macedonian fault though. Blocade starts on the other side of the border, hence no public transport." | | In A Nutshell: | "Come and visit, worth time & effort . For more info on Bitola try www.macedonia-timeless.com" |
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 Comments for MacedonianUK about Bitola | | | | |
etfromnc Wed Oct 14, 2009 20:36 UTC
Have you moved back to MK? I do not recall when I asked you about burek but I learned all about this delightful food when I was in BiH last summer. | nicolaitan Fri Sep 11, 2009 16:26 UTC
educational and interesting page on your home. especially interested in the role played in WWI, basically unknown in the west where western europe was the focus. Quaint looking, great town square. n. | SLLiew Wed Sep 2, 2009 22:07 UTC
Amazing tips of your hometown. The Folks festival will be a great time for visitors. Thanks for sharing. Cheers, SL :) | starship Wed Sep 2, 2009 18:16 UTC
Nice page. Lots of great information for tourists on historic places, hotels and restaurants! |
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