INSTITUTION FOR PRESERVATION OF CULTURAL MONUMENTS,

NATURAL RARITIES, MUSEUM AND GALLERY

 

    Bitola is a city with enormous cultural heritage, almost in all spheres of human spiritual existence. Within its closer and wider area there are plenty of cultural monuments, natural rarities, museum and gallery exhibits with high artistic, historical and other values, dating almost from all period of human existence: neolith, eneolite, bronze period, iron period, antique, middle age, 19th century till present time.

    The most important institutions in the city concerned with protection preservation, presentation and study of this richness is the Institution for preservation of cultural monuments, natural rarities, Museum and Gallery. This institution was founded in 1975 by the that time Municipal Parliament-Bitola. Later, several existing organizations joined in, namely: National Museum, Heraclea and Art Gallery, which resulted in extending its scope with protection and presentation of natural rarities in the region. In that way the creation of its complete organizational, spatial and cadre physiognomy was enabled.

    The seat of the Institution is in an imposing building of The Old Bitola Barracks, built in 1843 as a Military Gymnasium and functioned as such until 1900. Then it was transformed into a Military Academy-harabie till 1909. A new change followed. A few years before the Balkan Wars it functioned as a Secondary military school-idadie. During that time, renown people of the Turkish Empire passed through these schools either as scholars or professors. One of the Academy’s scholars was Kemal Ataturk. After all the historical and political changes that happened after 1913, this construction had its turn. Namely, since then and as late as 1974 the building was used for military purposes: housing of the army, warehouse, that is, it used to be one of Bitola’s barracks with capacity of over 5000m2. It is located in the historical core of the city of Bitola, as one of the central city’s organisms, having a characteristic of a cultural-historical monuments which has notable architectonic and artistic values. As a construction, it is unique in our country because of its architectonic plan, which represents synthesis of western European and oriental building mastery. The simple and tranquil neo-renaissance style can be best seen on the front part and interior functional solutions for usage of space. It is a one-organic architecture which, among other things, consists of interesting construction plans. Here is the patio, which used to serve military purposes. Together with the other interior it is intensively used for a lot of cultural activities. Elements of European eclecticism from 19th and the beginning of 20th century, which are mostly evident in the stylistic solutions on the entrances, windows and the attic, conform to that purpose. The complete specific symbol of its individuality and the construction mark of the building, justifies the determination, to be the one chosen to house the Institution, being one of the leading cultural institutions in Bitola.

Consequently, all the necessary working conditions were created so that an uppermost organization for preservation of our cultural heritage, organized upon the most modern principles required by this, in many way specific activity, could function. In conditions of a complete cadre and professional apparatus, several organizational units are active today: Archeological, Ethnological and History section. They are followed by: Department for art history, Department for natural rarities, Conservation-restoration workshop, as well as other organizational units that are in function of a quality and modern system of work. In order their work to be successful, a high standard of spatial equipment, of almost 2300m2, has been provided. There are some other historical objects and monuments that belong to the Institution: two memorial-houses; two memorial-rooms, and many other protected by law individual, valuable, old buildings, architectural ensembles, buildings and cultural sites, memorial complexes, memorial sites and other cultural monuments.

    During a visit to this renown cultural institution in Bitola, one cannot but spot several basic things this institution rests upon: Strife to keep all exhibits intact and in their original condition, Permanent engagement of all the potentials for regular maintenance of cultural monuments, being careful not to disturb the existing authenticity, Systematic studying, collecting, researching, sorting, keeping and presenting of monument values to the public and their complete protection as required by the contemporary science by this kind of cultural institution. All this provides the institution a very high reputation in protection of natural rarities and cultural heritage, not only in the country but wider.

One has an impression that museum activity, viewed from what has been presented, has a long tradition in Bitola. Its beginnings, to develop in an organized way, date from the end of the 19th century, which does not mean that there were not individual attempts to set it the developed countries did. However, due to the known historical conditions Macedonia was in, which means Bitola as well, foreign authorities had no interest in preserving our national treasure. On the contrary, many of them were destroyed or adopted. There was a great interest for antique among the citizens for a long time. It is not surprising that such an area as Bitola used to be, with an extraordinary treasure of own history, spirit and literature known for centuries, and certain cultural monuments even earlier, whose individual exhibits can be put in universal treasury of human kind, attracted great interest among the scientific and other circles. The city has a long tradition of collecting and keeping different objects: jewelry, coins, pictures, furniture, books, stone, plastic, weapons, ceramic dishes, cultural objects, tools, icons, clothes etc. Even the wealth of one family was often measured by the extent these objects were handed over from generation to generation in the family collections. Some of them were kept as sacred.

    The first museum in Bitola was founded in 1934, probably for one other time and purpose. The real museum activity in the town started developing after World War II. In 1949 the National Museum in Bitola was established. Its work was put on a more quality basis with the establishment of the Institution, under which it started operating. The rich archeological material from prehistoric periods (neolite, eneolite, bronze, and iron period) found in most of the sites in Bitola region overwhelm with its authenticity. The sites from other periods cope with it perfectly well: Greek, Roman, Ilir, Christian, Slavic, Moslem and other epochs from the middle age.

Of course the new century is a new chapter in the history of Bitola. This especially goes  for the period after 1835 when it become the center of Roumelian district transferred here from Sofia.

Since then the city becomes one of the key military, administrative centers of European Turkey, which enabled creating favorable conditions for accelerated development in other aspect of life. Consequently, the greatest number of exhibits in the Museum in Bitola date from the last two centuries, witnessing the turbulent history of this city: written documents, maps, designs, photos, ethnic materials, seals, weapons, objects, folk costumes etc. That is the time of: Macedonian national renaissance; National revolutionary movement; Creation of TMORO; Ilinden Uprising; Young Turk Revolution, Balkan Wars; World War I and II, till present time. All this heritage is kept in the depots and treasuries of Bitola Museum. It gives an impression as if it unveiled the time from the ashes of forgetfulness, from the beginning until the time we remember, retaining the truth about the eternity and holiness, out of which it was born.

              The Art Gallery has a special place in affirmation of the Institution as a prestigious cultural organization in the city. At first, in 1958, under the initiative of prominent Bitola painters: Borislav Trajkovski, Peco Vidimce, Jovan Dimitrovski, Tode Ivanovski and others, it was established as a separate institution. It was located in the city center, near the City Clock Tower, on the north entrance of Shirok Sokak, in that time religiously inactive- Jeni Mosque, built as early as 1558/59. It should be pointed out that in the period before the war until the establishment of this Gallery, Bitola artists exhibited their works in public buildings, schools, hotel foyers (“Royal”, “Bosna”, “Central” etc.) as well as private houses of eminent rich families from Bitola.

            The art Gallery of Bitola quickly acquired an epithet of one of the most prominent exhibition places in the country. It has always played a significant role in spreading and popularizing of art in this area. Renown artists, not only from Bitola and Macedonia, but from all over the world have exhibited their works here. This trend continued after the integration with the Institution (1983) keeping almost the same intensity. Among the others, it was the place where the initiative sprang, and set the foundations, of the now well-known art manifestation- International Graphic Triennial - Bitola. Every year the Gallery houses 20-30 art individual, group, thematic, retrospective, studies. The number of exhibits reaches a figure of 800, half of which constitute the graphic collection, a collection unique in our country.

            The Institution, Museum and Gallery, aside its basic activity, organizes or assists in organization of various cultural manifestations within its premises: concerts, exhibitions, theatrical and film shows, festivals and other manifestations (Bitola Summer Festival, Heraclea Nights, “Interfest”) thus giving its contribution to the rich cultural offer of Bitola.