Pelagonia (Macedonian:Пелагонија,romanized: Pelagonija;Greek:Πελαγονία,romanized: Pelagonía) is a geographical region ofMacedonia named after the ancient kingdom. Ancient Pelagonia roughly corresponded to the present-day municipalities ofBitola,Prilep,Mogila,Novaci,Kruševo, andKrivogaštani inNorth Macedonia and perhaps to small parts of the municipalities ofFlorina,Amyntaio andPrespes inGreece.
In antiquity, Pelagonia was roughly bounded byPaeonia to the north and east,Lynkestis andAlmopia to the south andIllyria to the west; and was inhabited by the Pelagones, anAncient Greek tribe ofUpper Macedonia, who were centered at the Pelagonianplain and belonged to theMolossian tribal state orkoinon.[1][2][3] Pelagonia was used as a name for the westernmost part of Paeonia, while the north-westernmost part of Pelagonia was referred to asDerriopos.[4] The region was annexed to theMacedonian kingdom during the 4th century BC and became one of its administrative provinces. In medieval times, when the names ofLynkestis andOrestis had become obsolete, Pelagonia acquired a broader meaning. This is why theBattle of Pelagonia (1259) between Byzantines and Latins includes also the currentKastoria regional unit and ancient Orestis.
Strabo calls Pelagonia by the nameTripolitis[5] and names only one ancient city of the supposed three in the region;Azorus. Two notable Pelagonians include the mythologicalPelagon, the eponym of the region, who, according toGreek mythology, was son of the river-godAxius (modernAxios or Vardar river) and father of the PaeonianAsteropaeus inHomer'sIliad. The second one isMenelaus of Pelagonia (ca. 360 BC) who, according to Bosworth, fled his kingdom when it was annexed byPhilip II, finding refuge and citizenship inAthens.[6]
Today, Pelagonia is a plain shared betweenNorth Macedonia and theGreek region ofMacedonia. It incorporates the southern cities ofBitola andPrilep in North Macedonia and the northwestern city ofFlorina in Greece; it is also the location ofMedžitlija-Niki, a key border crossing between the two countries. ManyMycenaean objects have been found in the area, such as thedouble axe, later found inMycenae[citation needed] and are exhibited in the Museum of Bitola.[citation needed]
The Monastir Gap is a geographical and historical term referring to the section of the Greece-North Macedonia border at the Pelagonia plain. The gap is named after Monastir (the historical name forBitola), which is the largest city in the plain. While most of Greece's northern border is marked by geographical barriers such as mountains and lakes, or by narrow, easily defensible valleys, the Monastir Gap is a vast and wide open plain. As a result, it has played a crucial role in various Balkan military campaigns.
During theBalkan Wars, the Greek Army capturedFlorina in November 1912, and intended to capture the entire Pelagonian plain, including the city of Monastir (Bitola). However, upon hearing of the Bulgarian advance towardsThessaloniki, the Greek army diverted and marched towards the Macedonian capital, thus leaving the northern Greek border in Pelagonia at the village of Negochani (today,Niki, Greece). As a result, most of the Pelagonian plain wasannexed by Serbia and the Monastir Gap was born.
In World War I, the Monastir Gap was of major strategic importance. It was the site of significant battles during theMacedonian front, as the Allies and Central Powers fought to control this key route. As one of the few flat areas in the region, control of the gap allowed movement of troops and supplies between Greece, Albania and Serbia. The Monastir Gap was central to theMonastir Offensive, an Allied operation aimed at breaking the stalemate on the Macedonian front.
In April 1941, during the German-ledOperation Marita, the Monastir Gap again became a critical invasion route. German forces, specifically the XL Panzer Corps, advanced through the gap from Yugoslavia into Greece, seizing the town of Florina on 10 April. This maneuver outflanked the Allied defensive positions along theVermio Mountains, leading to engagements such as theBattle of Vevi on 11–12 April. The rapid German advance through the Monastir Gap compromised the Allied defensive line, contributing to the swift occupation of mainland Greece.[7]
While the Monastir Gap was not the focal point of major battles during theGreek Civil War, its geographical significance persisted. The pass's proximity to the Yugoslav border made it a potential route for the movement of arms and personnel. Control over such border regions was crucial for both the government forces and the Democratic Army of Greece (DSE), as they sought to secure supply lines and restrict enemy movements. However, the most intense fighting during the civil war occurred in other mountainous regions of northern Greece.
A 137,000 ha tract of the plain has been designated anImportant Bird Area (IBA) byBirdLife International because it supports populations offerruginous ducks,white storks,Dalmatian pelicans,Eurasian thick-knees,little owls,Eurasian scops owls,European rollers,lesser kestrels andlesser grey shrikes.[8]
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41°00′00″N21°21′00″E / 41.0000°N 21.3500°E /41.0000; 21.3500
