First of all, they say "here in countryside eastern Europe", so they're speaking of a situation they're intimately familiar with. Secondly, they're describing

First of all, they say "here in countryside eastern Europe", so they're speaking of a situation they're intimately familiar with. Secondly, they're describing a situation from "before the 20th century" and extrapolating societal customs and norms from that. Nowhere does it say that current eastern europe lacks showers. The most they say about the now is that not all people can afford a sauna in their home.