Yunak Gymnastic Societies in Interwar Bulgaria

Abstract This article explores the history of the Yunak Union’s gymnastic societies in Bulgaria during the turbulent interwar period. It discusses the evolution of one the largest civil society organizations in the country, shedding light on this heretofore understudied topic. It examines Yunak societies as a complex and distinct social phenomenon that combined physical training with moral education and the patriotic mobilization of the youth, though it also teases out comparisons between Yunak societies and similar gymnastic organizations in Central and Southeastern Europe. The article also analyzes the changing relations between the interwar Bulgarian state and Yunak societies, emphasizing their ties to schools and the increasingly more authoritarian governments that ruled in Bulgaria starting in the late 1930s.