Sloeštica
Sloeštica (Macedonian Слоештица) is a small village in the municipality of Demir Hisar, in the area of Zeleznik, in the vicinity of the town of Demir Hisar. It used to be part of the former municipality of Sopotnica. The village is known for several distinguished members and a legend for the cavalry of Alexander the Great. Geography. The village is located in the southwest part of the Municipality of Demir Hisar, on the right side of Crna River. The village is hilly, at an altitude of 770 meters. It is 50 km (northwest) away from the nearest major city , Bitola. The area around the village occupies an area of 21.4 km², with forests covering an area of 1,511 hectares, with arable land of 330 hectares, and 269 hectares of pastures. The climate in the settlement is mountainous. It is bordered easterly by the . There are two rivers running through the village: Bela Reka (Golemacha) and Levacha. History. In the 19th century, Sloeshtica was a Christian village within the Sanjak of Monastir of the sub-district (kaza) of Monastir of the Ottoman Empire. During the Ilinden Uprising, the village was attacked on August 18, 1903 by Turkish forces. Villagers Bogoya  Ivanov, Nikola Talev and Stoycho Ristev were killed from the village, and Mets Stoyanov and Dole Ristev from Slepche died as chetas near the village. In October 1910 the village suffered during the disarmament action of the young Turks. A Bulgarian teacher in the village, Doychinov was arrested and jailed in the village of Pribilci. Legend. The village is known for its legend for Alexander the Great. Namely, in the vicinity of the village, there is a rocky hill on which there are impressions from the hoof of the cavalry of Alexander the Great. These traces are seen in the  area of Bela Reka, where the soldiers of Alexander cut wood (hazel) for the phalanx spears. Population. According to Vasil Kanchov in his "Macedonia Ethnography and Statistics" from 1900, there were 650 inhabitants in the village of Sloeshtica, in 90 houses, all Macedonian Christians. Following this, the secretary of the Bulgarian Exarchate, Dimitar Mishev, recorded in his book "La Macédoine et sa Population Chrétienne" a population of 720 inhabitants in 1905. During the second half of the 20th century, a number of the population moved from Sloeshtica, going from a medium to a small village. In 1961 the village had  746 inhabitants, and in 1994, 299 inhabitants. According to the last census of 2002, 221 inhabitants lived in the village, all Macedonians. Research on historical families. According to the research of Branislav Rusic in 1952, the genealogy of the village includes the following family names: Social facilities. There is a single primary school, known as "Braka Miladinovci", named after the Miladinov brothers. It teaches up to the 5th grade. Grades 6 onward go to the school also known as "Braka Miladinovci" which is located in the nearby village of Žvan. Municipalities. The village is part of the expanded Municipality of  Demir Hisar, to which the former Municipality of Sopotnica was added after the new territorial division of Macedonia in 2004. In the period from 1996-2004, the village belonged to the former Municipality of Sopotnica. In the period from 1955 to 1996, the village was located within the large municipality of Demir Hisar. In the period 1952-1955, the village was located in the then Municipality of Zvan, which included the villages of Virovo, Zvan, Mrenoga, Radovo, Sopotnica, Suvo Grlo and Cerovo. Cultural events. In the village there is an art gallery known as "Art Point - Gumno", a non-profit  organization located in the village. Their activities are focused on the arts, culture, environmentalism, and the local economic development of the Demir hisar region. Every year on August 28, there is the "Celebration of the Pirejot", held in memory of the writer Petre M. Andreevski.