Jewish Heritage of Monastir - Bitola

Bitola, or also known as Monastir during the Ottoman Empire, was and still is an important town: It was established by Philip II, father of Alexander The Great; It is on the Ancient Roman Road of Via Egnatia; and it was the town where the international community decided to open consulates to the Ottoman Empire.

Today, Bitola is a town with a wealth of cultures intertwined in its streets and residents. Likewise, the remnants of a once thriving Jewish community are scattered throughout the town, and blended in the everyday life as a memory.

In this tour we visit the oldest Jewish cemetery in the Balkans, we walk through the old Jewish neighbourhood to see where the Jewish once people lived, visit the Old Bazaar to see where the Jewish people once worked, and we see the many monuments that the local people of Bitola enacted in memory of their fellow citizens.

In the process we learn also about the rich history of Bitola and its tasty cuisine.