Today is our second birthday! Exactly two years ago, Balkanist Magazine launched from the Belgrade apartment of co-founders Lily Lynch and Srećko Šekeljić. With a simple WordPress theme, zero advertising, and six articles, all authored by Lily, the website went internationally viral more or less instantly, much to our shock, delight and horror. Balkanist has since evolved to include a talented team of editors, each of whom has massively enriched the project in myriad ways, and we still feel we’re just getting started. We thank our readers for remaining with us through what has been an occasionally very turbulent journey.
Here’s a look back at our original six articles.
“The Rise and Fall of Yugoslavia’s Peace and Porn Hotel”
“Meet the Macedonoids, the First White People on Earth”
“The Church of Scientology Wanted a Balkan Holy Land”
“The Dark Side of Croatia’s Tourism Boom”
“A Russian Neo-Nazi and Suspected Spree Killer in Serbia”
“How to Write About the Balkans”
