Officers' Hall

The Officers' Hall (Macedonian: Офицерски дом) is a historic building located on Širok Sokak in Bitola, North Macedonia. Construction began before the end of Ottoman rule and concluded during Serbian rule. During the Yugoslav-era, it was used by the army and became known as the Yugoslav National Army House (Macedonian: Дом на ЈНА) and, after Macedonian independence, the Republic of Macedonia Army House (Macedonian: Дом на АРМ). It is a protected Object of Cultural Heritage by the Ministry of Culture, under the category of "great significance".[1]

Officers' Hall
Офицерски дом
The Officers' Hall in 2022, post-renovation
Officers' Hall is located in North Macedonia
Officers' Hall
Location within North Macedonia
General information
Address"Maršal Tito" no. 147
Town or cityBitola
Country North Macedonia
Coordinates41°01′27″N 21°20′14″E
Current tenantsCultural-Informative Centre
Groundbreaking1909
Completed1919
Renovated2021
Height17.3 m (57 ft)

History
The Officers' Hall in 2014

Construction

There were likely two architects involved in the construction of the building: one from Vienna and one from Italy. Ukrainian architect Valeri Gusin may have also overseen construction. The construction workers were from the village of Smilevo.[2] The building incorporates multiple architectural styles and was designed to resemble both a palace and a fortress.[3]

Renovation

The building had fallen into disrepair by the 2010s after years of abandonment and was considered an embarrassment to Bitola. Plans to sell the building for private ownership were met with protest.[4] It was finally fully renovated in 2021 at a cost of MKD 59 million (EUR 960,000), with funding provided by the municipality, the national government, and the EU. It is now under the jurisdiction of the Cultural-Informative Centre, to be used for cultural events, museum exhibitions, public ceremonies, debates, and private events.[5][6]

References
  1. "Офицерскиот дом во Битола е прогласи за културно наследство од особено значење, подкатегорија големо значење". Ministry of Culture. 1 July 2022.
  2. Kokan Grčev (2003). Архитектонските стилови во македонската архитектура од крајот на XIX век и периодот меѓу двете светски војни. Folklore Institute "Marko Cepenkov" - Skopje. ISBN 9989-642-51-6.
  3. "Офицерски дом Битола". Bitola Municipality.
  4. "ОФИЦЕРСКИ ДОМ СРАМОТ НА БИТОЛА". Kanal 77.
  5. "ПРЕМИЕРОТ ЗАЕВ ВО БИТОЛА: ОФИЦЕРСКИОТ ДОМ БЛЕСНУВА ВО СТАРИОТ СВОЈ СЈАЈ". Bitola Municipality.
  6. "СЕ ОТВОРИ РЕНОВИРАНИОТ ОФИЦЕРСКИ ДОМ ВО БИТОЛА". SDK. 17 September 2021.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.