A public sanitary cell includes a sanitary compartment accessible through an outer door in which a toilet bowl having a drain is disposed. In order to provide sufficient freedom of motion in front of and next to the toilet bowl, in particular for wheelchair users, while maintaining a compact construction, the toilet bowl can be pivoted by a drive device about a substantially vertical axis, wherein an actuating device is disposed outside of the sanitary cell to operate and control the drive device. The drive device is preferentially operable and controllable by the actuating device only when the outer door is closed and/or when the sanitary compartment is empty.