Bitola Essentials: What to Know Before You Visit

The city of Bitola is located in the extreme southwestern part of the Republic of Macedonia, at the foot of the Baba mountain with the peak Pelister (2601 m) right next to the Greek border, which is 13 km away. Bitola is surrounded to the north by four connected hills, with a height of 640 to 890 m, called Bair, which are part of the Oblakovsko-snegovska mountain range (1430 m).

From the south, the city is enclosed by the Tumbe Kafe hill, with a height of 744 meters, which is a branch of the higher mountain site Neolica, which in turn is part of the vast Baba Planina.

To the east, Bitola is widely open to the valley floor of Pelagonia, and to the west, to the fluvioglacial deposits of the Dragor river, the wide Djavato valley and the high Pelister. The terrain on which Bitola lies slopes from 715 to 585 meters, from west to east, i.e. from Pelister and Baba Planina to the Pelagonia Valley, from 710 to 590 meters, giving the city an average altitude of 650 meters. These differences in elevation significantly affect the appearance of the city and the structure of the urban landscape.

On the one hand, the city is located on a flat terrain, and on the other hand on hilly land and alluvial material. Bitola is located in a zone where two different agricultural units touch, an agricultural-horticultural zone to the east, northeast and southeast and an orchard-horticultural and livestock zone to the west and southwest.

The city of Bitola extends along the following coordinates: from 21o 18’20” to 21o 22’11” east of the Greenwich Meridian (GRM) and from 41o 00’00” to 41o 03’20” north of the Equator (NEM). Administratively, the city of Bitola is the seat of the Municipality of Bitola, but also the main regional center for the southwestern region of the Republic of Macedonia.

• Country – Republic of Macedonia
• Mayor – Toni Konjanovski
• Nickname – City of Consuls
• Motto – Bitola, my grandmother Bitola
• Postal code – 7000
• Call number – (+389) 047
• Car registration – BT
• Patron saints – Saint Nektarios of Bitola
• Coordinates – 41°01′55″N 21°20′05″E
• Time zone – GMT +1
• Old names – Obitel; Manastir
• Area – 320 km²
• Altitude – 576 m
• Electricity – 220 V; 50Hz

• Skopje – 168 km
• Ohrid – 69 km
• Ankara (Turkey) – 1,347 km
• Athens (Greece) – 574 km
• Belgrade (Serbia) – 572 km
• Istanbul (Turkey) – 900 km
• Pristina (Kosovo) – 254 km
• Sofia (Bulgaria) – 352 km
• Thessaloniki (Greece) – 217 km
• Tirana (Albania) – 214 km

Information on visas for entry into the Republic of Macedonia
If you are not a citizen of the Republic of Macedonia and you intend to enter and reside in the Republic of Macedonia or to pass through the territory of the Republic of Macedonia, then you must check whether you need a visa. More information…

STOPANSKA BANKA A.D. BITOLA

• Dobrivoe Radosavljevic No 21
• – Shirok Sokak No 16
• – Partizanska bb
• Phone: +389 47 207 500,    +389 47 207 544,    +389 47 207 566,    +389 47 207 567,    +389 47 207 568, +389 47 202 320,    +389 47 203 015
• Fax: +389  47 207 513,    +389  47  207 515,     +389  47  207-541
• Email: www.stbbt@stbbt.com.mk
• www.stbbt.com.mk

STOPANSKA BANKA A.D. SKOPJE

• Address: Shirok Sokak No.62
• Phone: +389 47 222 247
• +389 47 226 815
• Fax: +389 47 203 336
• Email: sbank@stb.com.mk
• www.stb.com.mk

UNI BANKA

• Address: Dimitar Ilievski Murato 3
• Phone: +389 47 226 588
• Fax: +389 47 234 440
• Email: bitola@unibank.com.mk
• Web: www.unibank.com.mk

ALFA BANKA

• Address: ul. Ignat Atanasovski b.b
• Phone: +389 47 258 228
• Fax: +389 047 258 338
• Email: contact@alphabank.com.mk

KOMERCIJALNA BANKA A.D.SKOPJE

• Address: Nikola Tesla bb
• Phone: +389 47 239 384
• contact@kbnet.com.mk
• Web: www.kb.com.mk

OHRIDSKA

• Address: Dobrivoje Radosavljevic br. 3
• Phone: +389 47 203 205
• Email: obinfo@ob.com.mk
• Web: www.ohridskabanka.mk

TTK

• Address: Stolarska No 7
• “1-vi Maj” br.204/4,
• ”General Vasko Karangeleski” br.41
• Phone: +389 – (047)226 360
• Email: bitola@ttk.com.mk
• Web: www.ttk.com.mk

NLB TUTUNSKA

• Address: Josif Hristovski bb zgrada Grozd lamela 5
• Phone: +389 – (047) 202 756, 202 698, 202 699
• Fax: +389  047 202757
• Email: tb.bitola@tb.com.mk
• Web: www.tb.com.mk

PROKREDIT

• Address: Dobrivoje Radosavqevi} br. 10
• Phone: +389 – (047) 207 295
• Faks- (047) 207 281
• Email: infobt@procreditbank.com.mk
• Web: www.procreditbank.com.mk

HALKBANK

• Address: Josif Josifovski Sve{tarot br.1
• Phone: +389 :(047) 224 266, (047) 237 611
• Fax: +389 047 237 611
• Web: halkbank.mk
• Email: halkbank@halkbank.mk

CENTRALNA KOOPERATIVNA BANKA

• Address: Dimitar Ilievski Murato br.5
• Phone: +389 47 225 702
• Web: ccbank.mk
• Email:info@ccbank.mk

EUROSTANDARD

• Address: Dimitar Ilievski Murato b.b.
• Zgrada Grozd (Boris Kidric)
• Phone: +389 47 232 434, 47 232 435
• Fax: +389  47 231 435
• Web: eurostandard.com.mk
• Email: info@eurostandard.com.mk

SPARKASSE

• Address: Shirok Sokak b.b.
• Phone: +389 47 220 160, (047) 220 170
• Web: sparkasse.mk
• Email:contact@sparkasse.mk

• POLICE 192
• FIRE DEPARTMENT 193
• EMERGENCY 194
• ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE 196
• INFORMATION 188

MAYOR
Switchboard – + 389 47 234 234
Chairman of the Council – + 389 47 234 234
Secretary of the Council – + 389 47 234 234

PUBLIC PUBLIC COMPANY “VODOVOD”
Switchboard – + 389 47 227 449 + 389 47 227 448

PUBLIC PUBLIC COMPANY “KOMUNALEC”
Switchboard + 389 47 207 400

PUBLIC PUBLIC COMPANY “NISKOGRADBA”
Switchboard + 389 47 233 199 + 389 47 233 600

PE “PAZARI”
Central + 389 47 237 416; + 389 47 237 230

MINISTRY OF DEFENCE
Switchboard + 389 47 202 911
Head tel.fax + 389 47 227 139

MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS
Switchboard tel.fax + 389 47 225 110
Head + 389 47 227 678

MINISTRY OF JUSTICE
Head + 389 47 220 864
fax + 389 47 222 530

MINISTRY OF FINANCE
Switchboard + 389 47 237 080
Head + 389 47 237 070
Property and Legal Affairs + 389 47 237 080
Public Revenue Office + 389 47 235 503 fax + 389 47 255 819

MINISTRY OF ECONOMY
Head tel. fax + 389 47 223 635 + 389 47 222 635
Market Inspection + 389 47 237 020

MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND WATER MANAGEMENT
Head tel. fax + 389 47 237 419
Regional Unit (Service) + 389 47 237 064
Forest Police Commander + 389 47 228 545
Veterinary Inspection + 389 47 231 013

MINISTRY OF HEALTH
Head tel. fax + 389 47 231 614
Department of Health + 389 47 229 540
Sanitary Inspection 976

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND SCIENCE
Switchboard + 389 47 233 390 + 389 47 233 380
Agency for Youth and Sports + 389 47 233 282

MINISTRY OF LABOR AND SOCIAL POLICY
Switchboard + 389 47 222 852 + 389 47 202 029

CULTURAL CENTER
Switchboard + 389 47 224 763
Director + 389 47 220 967 + 389 47 220 560

NATIONAL THEATRE
Switchboard + 389 47 232 340 + 389 47 203 460
Director tel, fax + 389 47 227 970

NU INSTITUTE AND MUSEUM
Switchboard + 389 47 233 187

NATIONAL AND UNIVERSITY LIBRARY “ST. KLIMENT OF OHRIDSKI”
Switchboard + 389 47 220 208
Director + 389 47 220 515

MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATIONS
Head + 389 47 203 665 + 389 47 203 666

JUSTICE
Basic Court
Switchboard + 389 47 223 166 + 389 47 223 066
Executive Department + 389 47 232 003
Appellate Court
Switchboard + 389 47 227 476 + 389 47 227 999
Court Police + 389 47 221 948
Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office
Public Prosecutor + 389 47 238 417
Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office
Senior Public Prosecutor + 389 47 239 368
Public Attorney’s Office of the Republic of Macedonia for the Bitola Region
Switchboard + 389 47 233 120
Deputy Public Attorney + 389 47 233 468

ESM BRANCH “ELECTRICITY DISTRIBUTION”
Switchboard + 389 47 221 132
On-call service + 389 47 225 192 + 389 47 223 336

CUSTOMS ADMINISTRATION OF MACEDONIA
Switchboard + 389 47 269 336 + 389 47 260 164
Customs Office Bitola + 389 47 269 080

STATE STATISTICAL OFFICE OF MACEDONIA
Regional Department Bitola
Switchboard + 389 47 202 845 + 389 47 202 865

STATE GEODETIC OFFICE WORKS DEPARTMENT FOR SURVEY AND CADASTRE BITOLA
Switchboard + 389 47 228 860
Director tel.fax + 389 47 228 430

PENSION AND DISABILITY INSURANCE FUND
Switchboard + 389 47 231 665 + 389 47 231 480
Manager + 389 47 231 662

HEALTH INSURANCE FUND
Switchboard tel.+ 389 47 229 530 fax + 389 47 231 614
Counter + 389 47 234 713

CENTER FOR SOCIAL WORKS
Switchboard
Switchboard
Switchboard+ 389 47 231 657
Director

+ 389 47 231 651
+ 389 47 241 426

EMPLOYMENT OFFICE
Director

+ 389 47 237 464
fax + 389 47 237 963

MEDIA
TV TERA
+ 389 47 258 080
fax + 389 47 258 090

Radio 106 FM
+ 389 47 228 106
fax + 389 47 203 605

UNIVERSITY OF ST. KLIMENT OF OHRID – Rectorate
Head office + 389 47 223 788 + 389 47 223 192 Fax + 389 47 223 594

For all citizens of the Republic of Macedonia

• January 1, New Year
• January 7, Christmas, the first day of Christmas according to the Orthodox calendar, 
• Easter, the second day of Easter according to the Orthodox calendar
• May 1, Labor Day,
• May 24 “St. Cyril and Methodius” Day of the Pan-Slavic Enlighteners
• Ramadan Bayram, the first day of Ramadan Bayram,
• August 2, Republic Day
• September 8, Independence Day
• October 11, National Uprising Day,
• October 23, Macedonian Revolutionary Struggle Day,
• December 8, “St. Clement of Ohrid”

For citizens of the Orthodox faith

• January 6, Christmas Eve, the day before Christmas
• January 19, Epiphany (Vodici)
• Good Friday, the Friday before Easter
• The Friday before Pentecost
• August 28, Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Great Mother of God)

For citizens of Catholic religion

• Easter, the second day of Easter
• November 1, All Saints’ Day
• December 25, the first day of Christmas

For citizens of the Muslim religion

• Kurban Bayram, the first day of Kurban Bayram

For citizens belonging to the Albanian community in the Republic of Macedonia

• November, Day of the Albanian Alphabet

For citizens belonging to the Serbian community in the Republic of Macedonia

• January 27, Saint Sava

For citizens belonging to the Roma community in the Republic of Macedonia

• April 8, International Roma Day

For citizens belonging to the Vlach community in the Republic of Macedonia
May 23, National Day of the Vlachs

For citizens belonging to the Jewish community in the Republic of Macedonia

• September 19, Yom Kippur, the first day of Yom Kippur

For citizens belonging to the Bosniak community in the Republic of Macedonia

• September 28, International Day of the Bosniaks

For citizens belonging to the Turkish community in the Republic of Macedonia

• December 21, Day of Turkish Language Teaching

Throughout history, depending on the rulers, the city of Bitola has had many names.

The Slavic name for the city, Bitola, comes from the word Obitel, which during the Middle Ages was used for a community of monks, i.e. a monastery. It was named after the many monasteries that were located in the city and its surroundings, some of which still exist today.

Over time, the sound O was dropped in the pronunciation of the word “Obitel”, and the name of the city became Bitola.

The Greeks called the city Monastiri (Greek: Μοναστήρι) for the same reasons.

Bitola is today’s official name for the city, but at the same time the oldest name, judging by the Bitola tablet from 1015, on which the city is mentioned, as well as by the many military commanders of Tsar Samuil, as well as travelers from that time.

The Arab traveler Abu Abdallah Muhammad al-Idrisi wrote in the 12th century:

“It takes two days of travel to the east to get from Ahrid (Ohrid) to Butili (Bitola). Butili is an unusual and beautiful city.”

There are stories according to which there were 41 churches on the right bank of the Dragor River and the same number of watermills to support them. There were also 29 churches on the left bank of the Dragor River with the same number of watermills. During the holidays at that time, the people from the villages of the Bitola Plain gathered at these churches where they performed their religious rites. Since the land on which the city of Bitola was then located was covered with numerous churches, the city was named Manastir.

There is a version that says that the city of Bitola got its name Manastir after a huge church that was located above Bitola, near the current bridge called Black Bridge (Turkish: kara köprüsü). This church could accommodate all the villagers from the Bitola plain who came during the holidays to perform religious rites.

According to the records of Marko Cepenkov, the city of Bitola was named after the landowner Toljo, who had his own fortress near the present-day village of Bukovo in Bitola. At the time when the Turks came to conquer this part of Macedonia, to call the landowner Toljo to fight, they called him “Bi Toljo, do bi Toljo”, which is where, according to Marko Cepenkov, the current name of the city of Bitola comes from.

During the Ottoman rule, the city was called Manastir, which the Turks and Albanians adopted from the Greeks. After the Balkan Wars of 1913, the city fell under Serbian occupation and regained its old name Bitola.

For many years, the Municipality of Bitola has successfully cultivated cooperation with several cities – municipalities from abroad, namely:

• Epinal from France,
• Kranj from Slovenia,
• Bursa from the Republic of Turkey,
• Pavlovsk (Saint Petersburg) – Russian Federation,
• Trelleborg – Sweden,
• Rockdale (Sydney) – Australia,
• Innerstadt (Vienna) – Austria,
• Pozarevac, Gorni Milanovac,
• Starigrad (Belgrade) – Serbia,
• Herceg Novi – Montenegro,
• Kaiserslautern – Federal Republic of Germany,
• Split – Croatia,
• Kremenchuk – Ukraine,
• Lerin, Voden, Kozani, Sikis (Thessaloniki) – Republic of Greece,
• Korcha – Albania,
• Pleven – Republic of Bulgaria
• Braila – Romania.

Relatively favorable natural conditions have enabled the Bitola area, Bitola region and beyond to have a great wealth of forest resources in the distant past. The largest and highest quality forest complexes in the Bitola municipality extend in the area of ​​the mountain peak Kajmakcalan on Nidze Mountain and the peak Pelister with Baba Mountain, as well as parts of Bigla Mountain.

The most common tree species are: white pine, black pine, alder, beech, oak, fir and aspen. The Kajmakchalan region covers an area of ​​14,800 ha with a reserve of quality forests (black pine, pine, fir, beech, etc.).

The region of Baba Planina with the peak Pelister, excluding the region of the National Park “Pelister” (the first national park in the Republic of Macedonia, declared in 1948), covers an area of ​​10,400 ha (of which the pine – molika, the autochthonous endemic five-needle pine Pinus peuce discovered by the Austrian botanist August Grisebach in 1839, in the so-called strictly protected zone covers a complex of 1,600 ha).

On the eastern slopes of Baba Planina there are exceptionally low-stemmed forests, namely oak 8,180 ha, beech 2,067 ha and other types of forests 840 ha or a total of 11,087 hectares. The vegetation of “Pelister” has a specific botanical significance. 88 species of woody plants grow here, classified into 23 families.

The mountain vegetation of “Pelister” is divided into: 19 communities, 11 alliances, and 7 orders. The area of ​​wild fauna of “Pelister” is home to 62 species of animals, among which the deer, roe deer, chamois, wild boar, bear, lynx, hare, wolf, partridge and rock tern stand out.

Of the fish, it is important to highlight the presence of Salmo trutta peristericus and the Pelagonian brown trout Salmo trutta pelagonicus.

The hydrographic conditions of Bitola and its immediate surroundings are conditioned and determined by the geological, geomorphological and climatic characteristics.

The Dragor River flows through Bitola for a length of 4.5 km.

The Dragor originates from several small rivers, namely the Dihovo Dragor (12 km long, the source of which consists of several watercourses that spring from the slopes of Pelister, namely: Sapunchica, Lak Potok, Crvena Reka and Klisurica) and the Bratindolski Dragor or Boroica.

The total length of the Dragor River is 25.123 km with a watershed volume of 67 km, a basin of 188 km2 and an average fall of 17.0 ‰. The amount of water in the river depends exclusively on precipitation and groundwater of Baba and Pelister. The average flow of the Dragor River through the city from November to June is 2 – 3 m3/sec. The static groundwater level in different areas of the city is different and ranges from 0.50 m to 6.50 m.

Of the numerous wells in the city, due to urban development, their number has almost halved and in most of them the water is polluted by wastewater.

22 km from Bitola is the artificial accumulation lake “Strezevo”, which is a significant hydrographic object for Bitola and the Bitola region. This lake occupies a volume of 112,000,000 m3 of water, a depth at the dam of 72 meters, an area of ​​​​about 7 km2, an average width of about 1 km and a length of 7 km.

Other hydrographic facilities are the “Dovledžik” pool, which is a compensation pool with a length of 170 m, a width of 60 m, a volume of 13,600 m3 of water, a depth of about 3 m and a capacity of 2 – 3,000 swimmers, and the “Olympic Pool” with dimensions of 50 x 25 m. , as well as one children’s pool in both places. On hot summer days, both hydrographic facilities are used for swimming and recreation. At the top of the Baba – Pelister mountain are two glacial lakes, better known as “Pelister eyes” – the Big and the Small Lakes.

From a climatic point of view, we would like to highlight several characteristics for Bitola.

In Bitola, officially, the main meteorological station began operating on March 16, 1945, although for certain meteorological elements, there are systematic data from 1926/27. The meteorological station in the city is located at an altitude of 586 m.

According to meteorological data, the city has an average annual air temperature of 11.1°C, but with large deviations in certain years from 10.1°C in 1975 to 13.1°C in 1952.

The coldest month is January, with an average monthly temperature of 0.6°C, but with an absolute minimum temperature of -30.4°C. The warmest month is July, with an average monthly temperature of 22.2°C and an absolute maximum temperature of 41.2°C. The absolute annual variation of air temperature is 71.6°C, which is specific to areas with a continental climate.

The spring and autumn months have pleasant air temperatures, but they can also have characteristics of a prolonged winter or a prolonged summer. According to the weather, in Bitola, the climate is basically of a temperate continental character, with a pronounced continental component, with a dynamic and unstable climate of a dry, very hot summer and a winter period divided into a shorter, dry and cold one. In other words, the temperature has the characteristics of a continental climate, and the precipitation, of a dry, modified Mediterranean or steppe climate, which, at times, also has breakthroughs of hot air masses from North Africa – Sahara.

The average annual amount of precipitation is 601 mm. With values ​​ranging from 338 mm to 879 mm, which is a difference that is close to the average amount. Bitola is also an example of the occurrence of the aurora borealis. The isochasm (a line connecting places with an equal number of days with the occurrence of the aurora borealis) 0.1 passes through Bitola, which means that the aurora borealis appears in the sky of Bitola on average only once every 10 years.