The bath museum will be opened in Bulgaria

On the territory of the mineral baths in Sofia it is supposed to create a museum and a spa during the next two years, according to novinite.com. Funding of the baths reconstruction project was approved on Wednesday in the Bulgarian capital. The grant for the restoration and modernization works will be given by the Operational Program for Regional Development.

5.6 million levs for the restoration of the Mineral Baths in Sofia will be allocated from the state budget. Another 300 thousand will fund the capital municipality. The government later intends to allocate for the project additional two million levs, which will be spent on creation of the museum exhibition.

The baths museum is supposed to be located on three levels. One more level will be created to store about 120 000 exhibits.

As for the opening of the spa center the city authorities are going to find a private operator, who will operate the part of the complex on a concession basis. The investor for the spa project is currently being searched for. According to the information published by a number of Bulgarian media, the contract will give the investor the right to manage the property for 30 years with annual payments of 200 000 Euros. Anyway, the city authorities have not yet called the final figures.

The City Hall has been considering the project of transferring the Sofia baths to the private investor during the last 4 years. For the first time the idea of creation a medical center in its territory was announced in 2008. However, no one was willing to invest in the project at that time. For the second time the project was tendered in 2010. But this attempt to attract investors also failed.

Central Mineral Baths were built in Sofia in 1906 and are one of the iconic sights of the capital of Bulgaria. Baths functioned until 1986, when its infrastructure fell into disrepair. Mineral water fountains can still be found on the territory of the baths.