Bitola, 31 August 2025 (MIA) — The Municipality of Bitola will have a new sign inscribed for the recently unveiled memorial to Macedonian revolutionary Aleksandar Turundzhev, in response to public criticism that Bulgarian letters had been used for the sign instead of a Macedonian script.

In a press release, the Municipality of Bitola said it had been criticized over "the visual appearance of the font that was used." 

"These remarks were directed at the letters looking as if they were written in foreign orthography. However, expert linguistic analysis has shown that this is not foreign orthography but a typographic solution in a decorative style in which some shapes resemble Latin characters more than Cyrillic ones. It is this visual similarity that has created the impression of words written the wrong way," the release said.

The local authorities also said they would take into account the sensitivity of the issue and the importance of language and the script as part of national identity and commission a new sign inscribed in a modern font, which would be fully compliant with Macedonian ortography.

"Our goal is to avoid any confusion and to ensure a clear and precise linguistic form, as befits public landmarks," the release said, adding that the Municipality of Bitola would remain committed to honoring linguistic correctness, cultural tradition and heroic Macedonian freedom fighters. mr/