Makedoniya Hut

Makedoniya Hut is a massive two-storey building at 2,166 m in Rila, in the Mechi Prohod locality at the foot of Golyam Mechi Vrah. It is a waypoint on the European long-distance route E4 and is run by the Aygidik Tourist Society of Blagoevgrad. It has rooms of 7, 9 and 10 beds and a common room with bunk beds, indoor toilets and a bathroom, a spacious dining hall with a fireplace and a tourist kitchen for self-catering. Water and electricity come from the hut's own source, and heating is by radiators fed from a solid-fuel boiler.

Construction began in 1933 on the initiative of VMRO, and after the organisation was banned following the coup of 19 May 1934, the building was carried on by volunteers and mountain enthusiasts and completed in 1937. The hut was originally named Aygidik, which means "Bear Pass" in Turkish. In 1945 it was renamed Stanoy Krekmanski, and since 1980 it has been called Makedoniya.

The hut is a starting point for the surrounding peaks: Herman (about 1 h), Malak Mechi Vrah (about 1 h), Golyam Mechi Vrah (about 1.5 h) and Kukov Vrah (about 2 h). It is reached from Bodrost Hut in about 2 h 45 min, from Semkovo in about 2 h 30 min and from Dobarsko village in about 4 h 30 min.