Bitola
Bitola
Битола (Macedonian) | |
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Clockwise from top: Širok Sokak, Prespa-Pelagona Diocese building, Bitola Clock Tower, Magnolia Square, Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, Officers' Hall, Magaza building, Cultural Centre | |
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Flag Coat of arms | |
| Nickname: Gradot na konzulite ("The City of Consuls") | |
| Motto: Bitola, babam Bitola | |
Location in Bitola Municipality | |
Bitola Bitola | |
| Coordinates: 41°01′55″N 21°20′05″E / 41.03194°N 21.33472°E | |
| Country | North Macedonia |
| Region | Pelagonia |
| Municipality | Bitola |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Toni Konjanovski (VMRO-DPMNE) |
| Area | |
• City | 2,637 km2 (1,018 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 650 m (2,130 ft) |
| Population (2021) | |
• City | 69,287 |
| • Density | 26.27/km2 (68.05/sq mi) |
| • Metro | 105,644 |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal codes | 7000 |
| Area code | +389 (0)47 |
| Vehicle registration | BT |
| Patron Saints | Saint Nectarios of Bitola |
| Climate | Cfb |
| Website | www |
Bitola (/ˈbiːtoʊlə, -tələ/; Macedonian: Битола [ˈbitɔɫa] ⓘ) 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 it is an administrative, cultural, industrial, commercial, and educational centre. It has been known since the Ottoman period as the "City of Consuls", since many European countries had consulates in Bitola.
Bitola, known during the Ottoman Empire as Manastır 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 the First Bulgarian Empire (1015–1018) and the last capital of Ottoman Rumelia, from 1836 to 1867. According to the 2002 census, Bitola is the third largest city in the country, after the capital Skopje and Kumanovo. Bitola is also the seat of the Bitola Municipality.