SIGNS PRESENTING THE CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL HERITAGE OF THE CITY HAVE BEEN PLACED AT 10 LOCATIONS At the location of the Old Theater, through a QR code on the sign, tourists in the city have the opportunity to view the former theater and get to know its former appearance with the help of an interactive virtual walk. . This remains an eternal memory for the generations who remember this building and it was part of their lives, to recall the good memories. Young generations will be able to explore the past with the help of new technologies. “What is the philosophy of a successful local government when it comes to tourism?” You have to bring the tourist to the city, but also find a way to keep him as long as possible. With what we have done, we will be able to satisfy the curiosity of the tourists who will come to the city, to see part of our cultural and historical heritage which is rich and which we have not been able to exhibit so well and successfully in the past and to show that It is not by chance that Bitola was called the city of the consuls, of culture, of the piano…. Bitola has always been recognizable for the flourishing of culture and cultural events. In addition, we have five locations with wireless internet, in the direction of enabling tourists to use them,” said Mayor Natasa Petrovska. In addition to the Old Theater, for which an interactive and virtual presentation was made, 3D models were also made for the former “Balkan” pub, “Achil Chalovski’s Pharmacy” and Haji Mahmud Bey Mosque. The 3D models represent a “revival” of all important buildings from the past, and for the needs of the project they were made by the Gauss Institute. “During the reconstruction of the interior of the theater, we even managed to locate several chairs in the village of Tsapari, which we used in the interior. The entire history of the theater from its construction to its demolition is documented. One interesting fact, two years after the first film projection in Paris by the Lumiere brothers in 1895, in this theater in 1897, an unnamed married couple from Italy projected short films,” said Prof. Dr. Igor Nedelkovski from the Gauss Institute. Signs commemorating the most important buildings today were also placed at the Manaki Cinema, the Bezistenot, the Store, the Clock Tower, the Old Bazaar, and the Officers’ Home. The project “Cinema Culture”, Municipality of Bitola is realized within the INTERREG IPA Program for cross-border cooperation Republic of North Macedonia – Republic of Greece 2014-2020, and in partnership with the Municipality of Voden, the public enterprise DIKIDE from Voden and the NGO GREEN list from Bitola. The total budget of the Municipality of Bitola in the project amounts to 197,530 euros, and within it, in addition to the provided cinema equipment, the equipment of the tourist information center is also in the final stage.
