Lisolaj

Lisolaj
Лисолај
Village
Lisolaj is located in North Macedonia
Lisolaj
Lisolaj
Location within North Macedonia
Country North Macedonia
Region Pelagonia
Municipality Bitola
Population
 (2021)
 • Total
163
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)

Lisolaj (Macedonian: Лисолај) is a village in the Bitola Municipality of North Macedonia. It used to be part of the former municipality of Kukurečani.

Geography

Lisolaj belongs to the so-called Pelagonia Region, in the geographical area of Pelagonia and the foot of the mountain Drevenik, 17 km north of the city of Bitola. The village is hilly, at an altitude of 746 meters. Above the settlement is the church of St. Petka, which is from the 19th century.

History and Demographics

PopulationYear010020030040050060070019001920194019601980200020202040Total PopulationMacedoniansAlbaniansBulgarsSerbsOther ethnicitiesDemographics of Lisolaj
Line chart of the population and demographics of Lisolaj.

Mythology

According to legend, the name of Lisolaj comes from a story about a hunter who lost his child in the woods. The hunter ordered his dog (named Liso) to bark (luy, the command to bark). The name of the village was formed by mixing these two words.[1]

Ottoman Control

Lisolaj is attested in the Ottoman defter of 1467/68 as a village in the vilayet of Manastir. Alongside Christian Slavic names, an individual attested as a priest of the village (prift) bore the typical Albanian anthroponym, Gjergj.[2]

According to the statistics of the Bulgarian ethnographer Vasil Kanchov ("Macedonia, Ethnography and Statistics") from 1900, Lisolaj had 340 inhabitants, all Bulgarians.[3]

The Serbian document detailing the Greek attack on Lisolaj in 1906.

In 1904, Greek paramilitary units attacked the villagers of Lisolaj for switching their allegiance from the Serbian Church to the Bulgarian Exarchate. Until two years before, Lisolaj had been affiliated with the Serbians.[4]

According to the Bulgarian Exarchate Secretary Dimitar Mišev, ("La Macedoine et sa Population Chrétienne") in 1905 there were 400 Bulgarians in Lisolaj.[5]

World Wars

World War I

In World War I, the German Empire sent reinforcement troops to Lisolaj, where they had projectors to watch movies for military morale. The residents of Lisolaj were also allowed to watch with the occupying German soldiers.[6]

World War II

In World War II, the ethnic Macedonian from Lisolaj, Stojčevski Đorđi, was killed in Syrmia fighting the Yugoslavian Liberation War.[7]

Communist and post Yugoslavia

On the 22nd August, 2013, a forest fire near the Lisolaj and Drevenik villages was extinguished by the Army of the Republic of Macedonia using Mi 8 and Mi 17 helicopters with 44 tons of water.[8]

According to the 2021 census, the village had a total of 163 inhabitants.[9] Ethnic groups in the village include:[9]

  • Macedonians: 153
  • Persons who were not interviewed and had basic data taken from administrative sources: 10

Sport

Lisolaj has a soccer team called the FK Lisolaj (ФК Лисолаj). Their first recorded match is on 25 August 2019 against Crna Reka, and there is still continued recorded activity from team. The team captain is Zoran Sekulovski.[10] On 12 December 2023, the team was crowned autumn champions in the Bitola municipality.[11]

References

  1. ↑ "The legend of Lisolaj". SBS. 21 October 2016. Retrieved 11 April 2026.
  2. ↑ Murati, Qemal (2022). "EMRA VETJAKË TË PROVENIENCËS SHQIPTARE NË VILAJETIN E MANASTIRIT NË DRITËN E DEFTERËVE OSMANË TË SHEK. XV". Studime Albanologjike. ITSH: 18. LISOLAJ Gerg prift; Kojo, i biri i Kalojan-it; Dimitri, i biri i Stajko-s; Pejo, i biri i Dimitri-t; Gjorgo, i biri i Dimitri-t; Dimitri, i biri i Gjorgo-s; Dimitri, i biri i Janko-s; Dimitri, i biri i Miho-s; Dimitri, i biri i Nençe-s
  3. ↑ Kanchov, Vasil. „Macedonia, Ethnography and Statistics“. Sofia, 1900, p. 238. (in Bulgarian)
  4. ↑ "Господину Министру Просвете" [To the Minister of Education] (JPG). Wikimedia Commons (Document) (in Serbian). State Archives of the Republic of Macedonia. 4 June 1906. Archived from the original on 7 August 2026.
  5. ↑ Brancoff, D.M. "La Macédoine et sa Population Chrétienne". Paris, 1905, pp. 166-167.
  6. ↑ "Хронологија на македонската кинематографија" [Chronology of Macedonian Cinematography] (PDF). kinoteka. ISSN 0353-510X.
  7. ↑ "Žrtve rata 1941-1945" (PDF). muzejgenocida.rs (in Serbian). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2024-02-25.
  8. ↑ "Helicopters from the ARM Air force Brigade successfully put out the blaze in Bitola area". Army of the Republic of North Macedonia. 23 August 2013.
  9. 1 2 Macedonian Census (2002), Book 5 - Total population according to the Ethnic Affiliation, Mother Tongue and Religion, The State Statistical Office, Skopje, 2002, p. 128.
  10. ↑ "Lisolaj". Macedonian Football. 11 April 2026.
  11. ↑ Drakulovski, Janko (12 December 2023). "Half season ends in 4&5 Bitola leagues". Macedonian Football. Retrieved 11 April 2026.
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