Bus from BITOLA to RAŠKA

Bitola is a city in the southwestern part of North Macedonia. It is located in the southern part of the Pelagonia valley, surrounded by the Baba, Nidže and Kajmakčalan mountain ranges, 14 kilometres north of the Medžitlija-Níki border crossing with Greece. The city stands at an important junction connecting the south of the Adriatic Sea region with the Aegean Sea and Central Europe, and is an administrative, cultural, industrial, commercial, and educational centre. It has been known since the Ottoman period as "The City of The Consuls", since many European countries had consulates in Bitola.

Bitola, known during the Ottoman Empire as Manastir/Monastir, is one of the oldest cities in North Macedonia. It was founded as Heraclea Lyncestis in the middle of the 4th century BC by Philip II of Macedon. The city was the last capital of Ottoman Rumelia, from 1836 to 1867. According to the 2002 census, Bitola is the second-largest city in the country.

Bitola is the economic and industrial center of southwestern North Macedonia. Many of the largest companies in the country are based in the city. The Pelagonia agricultural combine is the largest producer of food in the country. The Streževo water system is the largest in North Macedonia and has the best technological facilities. The three thermoelectric power stations of REK Bitola produce nearly 80% of electricity in the state. The Frinko refrigerate factory was a leading electrical and metal company. Bitola also has significant capacity in the textile and food industries.

Bitola has been part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network since December 2015.

Raška is a town and municipality located in the Raška District of the western Serbia. The municipality has a population of 24,680 people, while the town has a population of 6,574 people. It covers an area of 670 km². The town is situated on the rivers Raška and Ibar.

Citiy of Raška was named  by  Serb medieval state that comprised parts of what is today Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and southern Dalmatia, being centred in the region of Raška (hence its exonym). The state was formed in ca. 1091 out of a vassal principality of Duklja, a Serb state which had itself emerged from the early medieval Serbian Principality that was centred in Raška until 960, when it was left in obscurity in sources after the Byzantine–Bulgarian wars. Its founder, Vukan, took the title of Grand Prince when his uncle and overlord Bodin ended up in Byzantine prison after decades of revolt. While Duklja was struck with civil wars, Raška continued the fight against the Byzantines. It was ruled by the Vukanović dynasty, who managed to put most of the former Serbian state under their rule, as well as expanding to the south and east. Through diplomatic ties with Hungary it managed to retain its independence past the mid-12th century. After a dynastic civil war in 1166, Stefan Nemanja emerged victorious. Nemanja's son Stefan was crowned king in 1217, while his younger son Rastko (monk Sava) was ordinated the first Archbishop of Serbs in 1219.

The town and municipality bears the name of the historical Raška region. From 1929 to 1941, Raška was part of the Zeta Banovina of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.

Raska as a settlement was first mentioned in 1835, and the town of Raska was proclaimed at the session of the State Council of the Principality of Serbia on September 6, 1845, at the proposal of politicians and statesman Ilija Garašanin. Prince Aleksandar Karađorđević, by his decision of 17 September 1845, proclaimed the establishment of Raska.

The first urban plan of Raska dates from 1844, which was done by Nikola Alković, which is considered one of the oldest urban plans.

The wars between 1912 and 1918 did not miss Raska. Development in the post-war period was slow. In one period, during the First World War, from October 31 to November 15, 1915, Raska was in some way the capital of Serbia because it was hosted by the King and the then Serbian government. Raska was acquitted on November 27, 1944.

 Today's Raska municipality, as a distinct functional-spatial unit, was formed in 1960