Revived Jewel: The Success Story of Yagoda’s Modernized Country Bathroom

Even seemingly archaic things like a country bathroom make sense when they are made modern and managed well. Such a conclusion is forced by the example of the mineral complex restored in mid-autumn in the village of Yagoda in Mugla.

The bathroom closed about 20 years ago. Denationalization (concession) does not affect her well, although the water springs at 54 degrees and is extremely healing. It is now managed by the municipality, and people flock to it from all over, although there are good private spa complexes nearby. “For about 7 months of activity, there are 50,000 visitors,” the mayor of Muglizh, Dusho Gavazov, told “Sega”. For comparison – the bathhouse opened at the same time in Bankya has about 30,000 visitors (the information was provided by the managing company “Sofiyski Imoti”); the banya in the Panagyur village of the same name registers about 4,000 people a month, a whole tourist town like Pavel banya – 30,000 – 40,000 a year. “We are looking to find our own customers through the service, and not to compete with private complexes. We also strive to make the prices affordable,” explained Gavazov. Admission is BGN 7 per hour, for pensioners and students – BGN 5, and children up to 7 years old enter for free; family bathtubs are between BGN 12 and BGN 15. Advertising is running on social networks, with even influencers stopping by Yagoda and broadcasting while soaking in the water.

A rather curious point is connected with the bathroom. After its closure, the local babe choir sang several times at events “The bathroom, the bathroom, what’s going on with the bathroom?… Dear people, tell her what to do! Please, please, help us! Let’s get this grace back !”. Publicity was performed in 2014 in front of Liliana Pavlova during an election campaign. Pavlova promised a refund, but to no avail. During every election campaign, candidates from all parties stopped by Yagoda and promised renovations – also to no avail. A stadium in Yagoda was built, but the bathroom was not. Somehow it did not seem prudent to invest with the available complexes in the village itself and within a radius of 40 km. However, in 2019, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications allocated BGN 210,000, and then the municipality assumed a debt of BGN 1.9 million under the FLAG fund. The renovation itself also went through a lot of vicissitudes. But in 2022, the work was finally finished, and it turned out that it was worth it.

JEWEL

Additional value is brought by the fact that a jewel building, a cultural monument, has been saved. The extremely beautiful building was designed in the 1920s by Stara Zagorje architect Hristo Dimov, author of many similar buildings in the region. In front, the bathroom has a huge park, alleys, a fountain and various corners.

Here is what the Babesh choir sang in 2014:

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