Bitola is the second largest city in Macedonia (after Skopje), located in the south of Macedonia. Besides the sights in Bitola itself, the city is a good base if you want to go hiking in Pelister National Park
The river Dragor flows through Bitola and splits the city into the old Turkish part north of the river and the newer part south of the Dragor.
This street is known as Shirok Sokak or Wide Street. It is a pedestrian area with nice architecture and a good place to have a drink and watch people! This part of Bitola has a very lively and pleasant vibe.
Heraclea Lyncestis
One of the main reasons to visit Bitola is the ancient city Heraclea Lyncestis, now an archaeological site just south of Bitola. The ancient town of Heraclea Lyncestis was founded by Philip II of Macedon, father of Aleksandar the Great in the middle of the 4th century BC. See here for more information about the Heraclea Lyncestis archeological site.
Clock Tower
The Clock Tower or Saat Kula is the symbol of Bitola. You can find the Saat Kula near Boulevard 1st May at the beginning of Shirok Sokak, south of the river Dragor. It was built around 1830.
Bezisten, Old Bazaar and Magaza
The Bezisten, a closed and covered marked, dates from the Ottoman period, likely from the 15th century. It was renewed in the 19th century and nowadays houses a variety of stores.
The Bezisten can easily be overseen if you are not looking for it and is located on the north side of the river Dragor opposite to the Clock Tower and Yeni Mosque.
The Old Bazaar is also located north of the river Dragor, and dates back to the arrival of the Ottoman Turks at the end of the 14th century. The Old Bazaar is closely related to the Bezisten and together they formed a larger craft-trade complex. It is assumed that the Bazaar had about 900 shops during the 18th century. The shops were narrow and compact, which still can be seen in some parts of the bazaar. It still is an interesting maze with narrow streets and small shops, all of which seem to sell the same products, namely cheap plastics and fabric.
The Magaza building is located at the Magnolia Square, south of the river Dragor and close to the Clock Tower. The so-called Magazas or shops were a real shelter for merchants, who could store, exhibit or sell their goods here. Magaza was built during the 19th century, with massive metal bars on the windows. It not only provided protection from robberies, but also from fires. Today it is used as a cultural center.
St Dimitri
The Church of St Dimitri (St Demetrius) is situated not far from the river Dragor and close to the Clock Tower. It is one of the biggest churches in the Balkans. Since St Dimitri was built during Ottoman rule, it was not allowed to be decorated on the outside. This was compensated by an abundantly decorated interior, so have a look inside!
The Church of St Dimitri can be seen in the opening scenes of the movie “The Peacemaker” (1997) with George Clooney and Nicole Kidman. The Church of St Dimitri was built in 1830.
Mosques
The Isak Mosque was built in 1508-1509. It is the biggest and oldest mosque in Bitola. It is located north of the river Dragor.
The Yeni or Jeni (New) Mosque, is situated south of the river Dragor at the beginning of the pedestrian area Shirok Sokak and opposite to the Clock Tower. The mosque was built in 1558.
The Yeni Mosque was constructed on a site where once a church dedicated to St George had existed. This was confirmed in archaeological excavations in 2004-2010 when foundations of four basilicas and an older mosque were uncovered. The foundation of the churches can be seen around the mosque. According to local legend St George was outraged that a mosque had been built over his church and he “jumped across the mosque on his horse ruining the minaret and leaving a mark from a horseshoe”. That is why the Jeni Mosque is also known as the Nal (Horseshoe) Mosque.
Bitola Museum
The Museum of Bitola is located near the crossing of the pedestrain street Shirok Sokak and Partizanska. The building used to house an Ottoman military academy, which was attended by Mustafa Ataturk from 1896-1899 before he became commander-in-chief of the Turkish military and then the first president of Turkey. A wing of the museum is dedicated to Ataturk.
Other parts of the museum show artefacts from archeological sites in the surroundings, the history of Bitola and Bitola’s partisan movement. During our visit in 2023 the wing with the Icon Gallery was closed due to an issue with the electricity. Overall, the lighting in the museum is not very well and it is quite dark. There was no air-condition, but still it is a very nice museum to visit. In contrast to most other museums in Macedonia, it was quite busy. Outside the Museum of Bitola you can find a tank and some other military material.
Yugoslavian F-86 fighter jets
I designed a 7 km walking route that takes you from the Museum of Bitola to several other sites: abandoned Yugoslavian F-86 fighter jets, old bunkers, the Dzepane Fortress, the Heraclea waterfall, Heraclea Lyncestis and the Bitola Zoo.
The two abandoned Yugoslavian F-86 fighter jets were originally stationed at the Bitola airbase, which was a major Macedonian air force base during the Cold War. The base was closed in 1999, and the jets were left abandoned. They are a reminder of Bitolas history as a military base, but their condition is poor and they have been vandalized. Location: N41° 01′ 07.2″ E21° 19′ 45.8″.
Bunkers
Near the planes you will find several bunkers, you will need a flashlight to have a look inside. There were some bats in the bunkers. Also a warning: somewhere during the first part of this trip, I suspect in the bunkers, we were jumped by dozens of fleas. We only noticed this after a while but it took us hours to remove all of them from everywhere…On and under our clothes…the bites were terribly itchy! Location: N41° 01′ 00.1″ E21° 19′ 48.8″.
Dzepane Fortress
The Bitola Fortress “Dzepane” was built in 1876 as an Ottoman gun powder/ammunition depot. It consists of four separate buildings surrounded by a high wall. According to legend, the Dzepane was built by masons from the village Smilevo. When the Turkish governor offered them money for their work they refused and told him “that it is already paid for, and we do not take money for holy work”. Only later it became clear to the Ottoman governor that they had built the Dzepane in the shape of a Christian cross.
After the First World War the fortress was damaged but was later renovated. Meanwhile, it seems to be in need of another renovation.
The Dzepane unfortunately was completely closed when we visited, the entrance even was completely closed off with a brick wall. However, there are some holes in this brick wall which theoretically would make it very easy to climb over this wall and visit this interesting 19th century fortress.
The four buildings inside the walls are completely empty and seem to have been used as stables for cattle. One of the buildings contains an interesting mural. It is a pity that these historical buildings are not renovated and not in use anymore! Location: N41° 00′ 57.4″ E21° 19′ 50.9″.
Heraclea Waterfall
The Heraclea Waterfall is not really clearly marked so it can be easily missed. I think it’s man-made and not very spectacular. A bit further there is another waterfall that we did not bother to visit. Lokation: N41° 00′ 32.3″ E21° 20′ 09.5″
Bitola Zoo
When we visited the Bitola Zoo in 2024 the back entrance was open and we could enter the site for free. Also the main entrance was open without anybody selling tickets. The Bitola Zoo was not in the best condition but we have seen worse. There was a young monkey that could easily escape from its cage and jumped on my girlfriends head. Maybe looking for fleas, who knows? The monkey also stole a plastic water bottle from our backpack. Be warned for this sweet little villain! Location: N41° 00′ 54.5″ E21° 20′ 35.8″
Auto & Ethno Museum in Krklino
In the village Krklino, an 8 km drive from Bitola, there is a small private ethno museum called Filip. An interesting but incoherent collection is on display, ranging from several old cars and motorbikes to sewing machines, traditional clothing, tools and a shack with old bikes from all over the world.
The owner gave us a tour. I believe the entrance was 150 denar per person, about 2.50 euros. A glass of home-made rakija before the tour started was included in the price! They also offer accommodation. See their website for more information: http://www.muzejkrklino.mk/. Location: N41° 04′ 29.2″ E21° 19′ 48.0″
Daytrips from Bitola
See here for some ideas for Daytrips from Bitola.
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