They are European cities on the rise, major cultural centres but hardly anybody outside of the region really know of them: the cities of the Balkan. Many Europeans still associate cities such as Bucharest, Belgrade, Ljubljana, Sofia and Sarajevo with socialist dictatorship and prefabricated dreariness. For most, they are sites for the bloody wars of the 90s. But for young creative minds, these places belong among the coveted lists of "places to be". The cities have endured long difficult pasts, and now they offer an exciting and inspiring present with lots of potential for the future. Reasons enough for a trip to the old and new cities of the Balkan.