Sofia Municipality Sues to Regain Maria Luiza Bathhouse and Summer Theatre

Sofia Municipality has filed a lawsuit to regain ownership of the Maria Luiza bathhouse and the Summer Theatre in Borisova Gradina park, it was announced during Mayor Vasil Terziev's report on three years of governance.

The legal dispute is with the company "Park Maria Luiza", which is majority-owned by "Aquapark Maria Luiza", controlled by businessman Rumen Gaitanski (known as Valkan), while the municipal company "Sofia Properties" holds a minority stake. The joint venture initially filed a claim against the municipality after the local authority issued an act declaring the properties public municipal property. In response, the municipality submitted six related claims, explained Deputy Mayor for Legal Affairs Stefan Darov.

The court has accepted as security for the municipality's claims a lien on both properties, meaning the joint venture cannot dispose of them or use them as collateral while the case is ongoing. The case is in its early stages, and Darov expects the legal battle to continue for many years, citing the example of another disputed property in the park, the former Capitol car dealership site, where a decision has been awaited for a year and a half despite the case having concluded in mid-2024.

An out-of-court settlement is possible, but the question is at what price. Gaitanski previously offered to transfer his stake to the municipality in exchange for 24 properties in Sofia with a total area of over 32,600 square metres. That offer was rejected by the then GERB-led municipality, which considered that the acquisition had been made without adequate payment through a co-ownership structure.

The Maria Luiza bathhouse has an area of 30,000 square metres, while the Summer Theatre covers nearly 26 decares. The municipality is also working to adopt a detailed development plan for Borisova Gradina that would prevent additional construction on these sites and require the expropriation of 10 private plots, including these two, at an estimated cost of at least 35.5 million euros. The plan is in its final stages but is likely to be appealed.