Market of clothing and materials in Bitola in the Ottoman period
Considering that the textile industry is one of the oldest industries on the territory of Macedonia, the normal track of things is to go through the development and growth through various historical and economic phases.
If we look back, Macedonia was a developed centre primarily for the production of wool, then cotton, and for a short period silk. Because of the social conditions and wars, the development of this sector underwent various transformations, which at times resulted in a great progress, but sometimes it suffered seriously.
If we start from the end of the 19th century, Macedonia was a territory with numerous small towns with developed trade, especially craft.
The introduction and further development of the textile industry in Macedonia was mainly caused by the needs of the Ottoman army for various types of clothing and uniforms. Another reason for the emergence of the textile sector was meeting the needs of citizens from urban areas.
The first textile enterprises were established in the 1880s in the villages in the Bitola region, and their main activity was the production of wool products. A small number of cotton products were made in craft workshops. Since Bitola, at that time known as the Manastir, was a significant economic and cultural centre in the European part of the Ottoman empire, the development of textiles in this region was logical.
Although at that time owners and directors of the textile industry had the capital that they invested in this branch, which proved to be very profitable, however numerous Balkan Wars and the First World War affected the industry in the region very badly.
One of the first textile companies on the territory of the Republic of Macedonia was the textile and knitting factory in the village of Dihovo. The factory was built in 1883 and was one of the largest textile industries in the European part of the Ottoman Empire. It was focused mainly on woolen products, applying modern production processes and it was the use of homemade wool which made it highly competitive. However, to produce high-quality products, they also imported wool from England.
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HISTORY OF MACEDONIAN TEXTILE INDUSTRY