Austrian Consulate Reopens after 164 years in Bitola

An honorary Austrian consulate will open on Sunday in Bitola. University professor Valentina Ilieva was chosen to be an honorary consul.

The consulate is situated in the office spaces of Pelagonka 2 complex, on the third floor.

It is expected that the consulate will strengthen cooperation between Macedonia and Austria in several fields such as the economy, culture, education, etc.

The Austrian consulate is the 14th consulate opened in Bitola since the independence of Macedonia.

In the meantime, the Croatian, Slovenian and British consulates stopped working.


While some closed down, others were announced to be opened, so it is soon expected for the city of consuls to get an Italian consulate.



In the past, Austria and Great Britain were the first countries that opened diplomatic consular missions in Bitola in 1851.

The first Austrian diplomatic representative in Bitola was Fredric Riteh Maer. The Austrian consulate was situated in the building of a very rich man from Bitola called Ikonomu. The building is preserved until present day, it is called Magnolija and it is located in Bitola's city center.

From the numerous consuls that resided in Bitola, August Kral stands out as a diplomat who recorded significant information about the life of the Macedonian people during the Ilinden period.