Tracing Archaeological Remains and Scholarly Research of the Central Powers in the Region of Prilep-Bitola during WW I (1915-1918)

Our project aims to shed light on the Southern Balkan Peninsula during the First World War (1914-1918) and in particular on the regions of Prilep-Bitola and Mariovo behind the so-called Salonica Front or Macedonian Front in today’s Republic of North Macedonia. Closely connected to wars and armed conflicts is their devastating impact on the World’s Cultural Heritage. In our project we would like to follow up on the question of Cultural Heritage and research on it during the First World War. Various historical and ecclesiastical monuments were severely afflicted by the destruction along the Salonica Front. Examples are the church of Saint Christopher in the village of Krstoar and the Church of St. Nicholas in the village of Gradešnica. Thorough scholarly research is still needed to evaluate the relevant sources, especially the pictorial ones, on the particular monuments in the region from Byzantine and Post-Byzantine times in order to receive a comprehensive picture of the respective Cultural Heritage. Three research questions will be pursued: Where was the Cultural Heritage behind the Salonica Front in the regions of Prilep-Bitola and Mariovo affected by the fighting and how did the Central Powers document the damage? Where did archaeological excavations by the Central Powers take place in the regions of Prilep-Bitola and Mariovo and who were the scholars involved? What kind of military infrastructure of the Central Powers can still be traced in situ in the regions of Prilep-Bitola and Mariovo (i.e. trenches, bunkers, roads, bridges, tunnels, railways, ropeways, cemeteries)? The project and its novel approaches and methods in Historical Geography have been introduced by Mihailo Popović to the interested public in the digital version of the Austrian daily newspaper “Der Standard”. The online article can be accessed via: https://www.derstandard.at/story/3000000234089/im-fadenkreuz-der-kriegsfotografie