Gruništе village
Grunište village (Gruniste, Grunishte, Macedonian: Груниште) is located on the right side of Crna (Black) River, at altitude 742 m above sea level, 52 km from Bitola, in Municipality of Novaci.
The village is reached by the regional road R1311, which connects Bitola with the Mariovo villages in the Municipality of Novaci. From the main road to the right between the secondary roads leading to the villages Zovik and Budimirci, a narrow, 4 km long roadway is separated which leads to Gruniste village. The secondary road is not appropriate for normal cars, jeeps and SUVs are recommended.
Churches in Gruništе village
Within the village, two churches exist St Demetrius (Св. Димитриј) and St. Petka (Св. Петка).
The church Saint Demetrius was built in 1860 with great efforts from the local population, which was several times earlier obstructed by the Turkish authorities.
Near the church, a stone bell tower is built, and the village graveyards are located, where also Serb and Bulgarian soldiers from the First World War are buried.
The Church St. Petka was built in 1925 by a certain Riste Venin whose name is written on a plate at the entrance of the church. The church has a water spring for which the local population believes that possess healing power.
Gruništе village during the First World War
Near the village is the locality “Grunishki Vis”, which was an important strategic point of the Macedonian Front during the First World War. On several places in the village and around the church St. Demetrius can be seen graves of soldiers who died near the village. Most of the graves are from the Serbian army, and according to the local population, there were also graves of French soldiers.
Near Grunicski Vis there is a memorial plaque dedicated to “Vojvoda (Duke) Vuk”, who died during the offensive on November 29, 1916. Vojvoda Vuk was first buried in the Serbian cemetery “Zeytinluk” in Thessaloniki, from where in 1923 he was transferred to the “New Cemetery” in Belgrade.
Also noticeable is the tomb of the Bulgarian General Kliment Jerov (Климент Џеров), located in the central part of the cemetery. Colonel Kliment Jerov (Климент Џеров), who originated from Ohrid, died on December 3, 1916, during the fighting for Gruniski Vis (Battle on the Crna bend). After his death, he was promoted to General-Major.
