Municipality of Bitola
Within the municipality of Bitola is Bitola field that covers most of the Pelagonia valley, with a total cultivable area of about 70.000 ha. It is mostly arable land, then, garden areas, orchards, vineyards and meadows. The construction of the hydro system Strezevo, favorable conditions are created for further development of the agriculture and achieving higher contributions.
The surrounding mountains: Baba Mountains Kajmakchalan and other forest areas have large forest complexes of firewood and industrial wood.
Bitola and the wider environment is also known for its diverse mineral wealth. This especially applies to large amounts of lignite and other non-metals. Based on these natural reserves, since 1983, the largest electricity facility works in Macedonia, Mining and energy plant REK- Bitola. This plant annually employs 2.500 people who off 30 million cubic meters tailings, extract 6-7 million tons of lignite, produce 4.2 gigawatts hours of electricity.
A significant large capacity of wider social importance is Strezevo, a giant hydro-ameliorative. PE “Stezhevo” (founded 1978) now has 220 employees. This system covers all of the rivers water of rivers Semnica and Dragor with its tributaries and streams from Baba mountain: Kishavska, Graeshka, Ostrechka, Zlokukjanska, Stara Reka, Kinderka and they flow into the reservoir. The dam was built on the river Semnica. Strezevo serves to supply Bitola and other towns with drinking water supplies industrial water separate facilities including Bitola and REK Bitola and irrigate more than 20,200 hectares of land in Pelagonija. Despite this activity, Strezevo is engaged in the production of electricity at its hydropower plants, fish farming and mushrooms, with catering and other activities. Strezevo system also serves to protect against flooding of a part of Pelagonija.
As a result of this favorable natural features, in recent decades, the presence of raw and resource preferably in: metal, textile, food, tobacco, printing industry, the production of milk and dairy products, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, sugar, yeast, spirits and more, began to be valorized.
| MUNICIPALITY OF BITOLA Blvd. 1st May no.61, Bitola +389 47 208 340 [email protected] www.bitola.gov.mk |
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| Coordinates | * Latitude – 41о00’00” to 41о03’20” N
* Longitude – 21о18’20” to 21о22’11” E |
| Area | * 794,53 km2 |
| Areal codes | * International code: ++389 (R. Macedonia)
* National code: 047 * Postal code: 7000 |
| Population | * 95.385 inhabitants (Census 2002)
* 92.550 inhabitants (Estimated by the State Statistical Office, till 31.12.2014) |
| Gender structure | * Female – 50,76%
* Male – 49,24% |
| Number of unemployed people (ESA, December 2015 ) | * 6.308 |
| Elementary schools | * OU “Goce Delchev”
* OU “Stiv Naumov” * OU “Sv. Kiril and Metodij” * OU “D-r. Trifun Panovski” * OU “Dame Gruev” * OU “Kole Kaninski” * OU “Krste Petkov Misirkov” * OU “Elpida Karamandi” * OU “Todor Angelevski ” * OU “Aleksandar Turundzev” * OU “Sv. Kliment Ohridski” * OU “Gjorgi Sugarev ” (within this school special classes for children with mild mental disability exist) |
| Secondary schools | * SOU Gymnasium “Josip Broz Tito”
· social and humanitarian domain · natural mathematical domain · language and art * SOU Gymnasium “Taki Daskalot” · gymnasium · geological mining and metallurgy branch · traffic profession · textile-leather profession · graphic profession · construction * SOEU “Jane Sandanski” · Economic and trade profession * SOEMU “Gjorgi Naumov” · electrotechnical profession · mechanical engineering * SOMU “D-r. Jovan Kalauzi” · health profession · personal services * SOZU “Kuzman Shapkarev” · agricultural profession · veterinary profession · agriculture veterinary profession * State musical school · artistic vocation – music |
| Universities and scientific institutions | * University “St. Kliment Ohridski” – Bitola (www.uklo.edu.mk)
· Faculty of Biotechnological Sciences · Technical faculty · Pedagogical faculty · High Medical School · Veterinary Faculty · Faculty of Information and Communication Technologies * Business Academy Smilevski – BAS Department of dispersed studies in Bitola * International Slavic University “Gavrilo Romanovich Derzavin” |
| Banks (branches) | * Stopanska banka AD Bitola
* Stopanska banka AD Skopje * UNI banka AD Skopje * Alfa banka AD Skopje * Komercijalna banka AD Skopje * Ohridska banka AD Skopje * TTK banka AD Skopje * NLB Tutunska banka AD Skopje * Prokredit banka AD Skopje * Halk banka AD Skopje * Sparkase banka AD Skopje |
| Insurance companies | * Albsig AD Skopje
* Viner osiguruvanje AD Skopje * Evroins osiguruvanje AD Skopje * Eurolink osiguruvanje AD Skopje * Insig Македонија AD Skopje * Kroacija osiguruvanje AD Skopje * AD Osiguritelna polisa * Osiguruvanje Makedonija AD Skopje – Vienna Insurance Group * Sava osiguruvanje AD Skopje * Triglav osiguruvanje AD Skopje * Unika AD Skopje |
| Number of active legal entities | * 3.951 (State Statistical Office, till 31.12.2014) |
| Priority sectors /industries in the Municipality | * Agriculture and Livestock
* Food, metal and wood industry * Energy production * Tourism and Hospitality * Shop |
| Available resources in the Municipality | * Pelagonija as fertile area
* Good raw material base for food and other industries * Close proximity to Greece and Albania * Pelister National Park * Tourist potential * Available and skilled workforce |
| Contact information for potential investors | * M-r Violeta Nalevska
Counselor for Economic Development Tel.: 071-222-839, 047-208-347 E-mail: [email protected] |
| TRAFFIC CONNECTIONS | |
| Highways and national roads | · Highway Е-75 · Highway E-65 · National road М-5 · National road М-26 |
| Regional roads | · Bitola – Krushevo · Bitola – Demir Hisar – Kicevo · Bitola – Pelister · Bitola – Nizhopole · Bitola – Bac – Staravina · Bitola – Makovo – Rapes |
| Distance from airports: | · Alexander the Great (Skopje) – 180 km · St. Paul the Apostol (Ohrid) – 85 km · Airport Macedonia (Thessaloniki, Greece) – 170 km |
| Distance from harbors: | · Harbor in Burgas, Bulgaria – 738 km · Harbor in Thessaloniki, Greece – 214 km · Harbor in Durres, Albania – 242 km · Harbor in Bar, Montenegro – 342 km |
| Distance from railroads | · Railway station Skopje – 173 km · Railway station Sofia – 366 km · Railway station Thessaloniki- 215 km |
| Distance from capital cities: | · Skopje – 173 km · Sofia – 366 km · Belgrade – 570 km · Podgorica- 360 km · Pristinа – 255 km · Athens – 571 km · Tirana – 215 km |
| Distance from border crossings: | · Bulgaria- 212 km · Serbia – 185 km · Greece – 14 km · Kosovo – 179 km · Albania – 57 km |
Investing in Municipality of Bitola
Municipality of Bitola to the potential investors puts available the industrial zone “Zabeni” located in the southern part of Bitola, distant 9 km from the town Bitola and 11,75 km from the center of the municipality 
An important competitive advantage of the industrial zone “Zabeni” is its proximity of 5 km to the border with Greece. The total area of the industrial zone “Zabeni” is 834,539.06 m2 with area allocated for construction with 70% of total area capacity. The area is managed by the municipality of Bitola, and the ownership is divided as follows: 50% of the land is purchased by private investors and 50% is owned by the state. In IZ Zabeni there is functioning “greenfield” investment German Kromberg & Schubert, and for the upcoming period, there are announced investments by a company in Italian food industry and a Turkish company specializing in the production of agricultural machinery.
| Industrial zone “Zhabeni“ | |
| Total area | 834.539,06 m2 |
| Distance from the center of the municipality | 11,75 km |
| Ownership | 50 % – owned by private investors;
50 % – state land available for purchase |
| Managed by | Municipality of Bitola |
| Infrastructure | – Electricity – Water supply – Stormwater drains – Sewerage system – Telephony – Access to construction plots through asphalt / swabbed area |
| Usage of the free locations for construction | B2, B3, B4 и G2, G3, G4 и Е1, Е2, Е3 |
| Initial price for the land | 61,00 den/m2 for light industry
900,00 den/m2 for commercial objects |
Municipality of Bitola for potential investors has available sales facilities in the former barracks of the Army in a total area of 7.126 m2.
| Former Army barracks | |||
| number | number and number of floors of the building | total area of the building | use of the facility |
| 1 | Number 31 – Ground – Floor – Attic |
– Ground – 664 m2 – Floor – 657 m2 – Attic – 699 m2 TOTAL: 2.020 m2 |
А3 / B1, B2, V1, V2, V3, D2 |
| 2 | Number 38 – Basement – Ground – Floor |
– Basement – 532 m2 – Ground – 516 m2 – Floor – 534 m2 TOTAL: 1.582 m2 |
Е2 |
| 3 | Number 39 – Ground – Floor |
– Ground – 582 m2 – Floor – 633 m2 TOTAL: 1.215 m2 |
V2 / А4, B1, D3, V5 |
| 4 | Number 45 – Ground |
– Ground – 1.466 m2 TOTAL: 1.466 m2 |
А2 / B1, B2, V1, V2, V3, D2 |
| 5 | Number 46 – Ground |
– Ground – 382 m2 TOTAL: 382 m2 |
А2 / B1, B2, V1, V2, V3, D2 |
| 6 | Number 47 – Ground |
– Ground – 461 m2 TOTAL: 461 m2 |
V4 |
Detailed information on the investments potentials in municipality of Bitola can be found in “The collection of industrial zones in Pelagonia planning region”.