Are Balkanites closer to Central Europeans or to Southern Europeans?

[Lavrentis]

All factors considered. In my opinion, Balkanites are closer to Central Euros. Both genetically and culturally.

Genetically speaking Serbs are closer to Austrians and Hungarians than to mainland Greeks, let alone to south Italians or Cretans.

Mentally, Balkanites seem very conservative and backwards. Like Central Euros. Southern Euros are more open minded.

Discuss.

[CommonSense]

I disagree about your cultural assesment. Central European societies are much more developed and progressive and have been such for a long time. In countries like Italy people are mostly lazy, easy-going, dislike foreigners and there's a higher crime rate. And we might be genetically in-between Central and Southern Europe, but, honestly, more people have an appearance shifted towards the latter than the former.

[Archduke]

Balkanites ARE Southern Europeans.

Communism created artificial culture of the former Eastern Block countries, thats why it makes it hard for others to put Balkanites somewhere exactly. Currently Balkan countries are still heavily affected from communism thats why we might have more in common with Hungary for example, but Balkanites are Southern Europeans to the core.

[Lauχum]

Genetically:
Slovenes, Croats and Bosnians are closer to Central Europe.
Serbs, Montenegrins and perhaps Northern Romanians are intermediate between mainland Greece and Central Europe.
Other Romanians, Bulgarians, Macedonians and of course Albanians are closer to mainland Greece.

In terms of culture I don't think its my place to say.

[Lavrentis]

I disagree about your cultural assesment. Central European societies are much more developed and progressive and have been such for a long time. In countries like Italy people are mostly lazy, easy-going, dislike foreigners and there's a higher crime rate. And we might be genetically in-between Central and Southern Europe, but, honestly, more people have an appearance shifted towards the latter than the former.

Austrians are indeed more progressive etc than Balkan people. But Poles and Hungarians are as conservative as Serbs imo.

The biggest difference is that Central Europe has better architecture (at least that’s my opinion ) and is uniformly Catholic (except the Protestant parts of Hungary and the Orthodox parts of Transylvania).

About Italy, well Italians might not be so kind to foreigners nowadays, but that’s because the migrant crisis imo. If Central European countries had the same migration problem that Greece and Italy have, they would have been much more unwelcoming.

Check out this graph:



Spaniards are more open to migrants even than northern Euros.

Central European countries and Bulgaria are at the bottom. Greece and Italy are at the bottom too but that has to do with the migrant crisis. Imagine if Central Europe and Balkans had the same migrant problems that southern Euro countries have.

[CommonSense]

Austrians are indeed more progressive etc than Balkan people. But Poles and Hungarians are as conservative as Serbs imo.

The biggest difference is that Central Europe has better architecture (at least that’s my opinion ) and is uniformly Catholic (except the Protestant parts of Hungary and the Orthodox parts of Transylvania).

About Italy, well Italians might not be so kind to foreigners nowadays, but that’s because the migrant crisis imo. If Central European countries had the same migration problem that Greece and Italy have, they would have been much more unwelcoming.

Check out this graph:



Spaniards are more open to migrants even than northern Euros.

Central European countries and Bulgaria are at the bottom. Greece and Italy are at the bottom too but that has to do with the migrant crisis. Imagine if Central Europe and Balkans had the same migrant problems that southern Euro countries have.

We aren't that far off, there are plenty of them here too, but thankfully they have no intention of staying. I was in Italy twice and people were rather unfriendly, knew very little English and seemed to be very proud of their culture. People I know who went there have similar impressions and I've read that other Southern European countries, especially Spain, are similar in that regard. Central Europe seems to be a lot more 'civilized'. Even Stearsolina who lived in Croatia, the most advanced Balkan country, claims that the living standards are noticeably better in Hungary, the least developed Central European country.

[Decius]

Genetically closer to Central Europe then Southern Europe

[Lavrentis]

Balkanites ARE Southern Europeans.

Communism created artificial culture of the former Eastern Block countries, thats why it makes it hard for others to put Balkanites somewhere exactly. Currently Balkan countries are still heavily affected from communism thats why we might have more in common with Hungary for example, but Balkanites are Southern Europeans to the core.

Depends which Balkanites. Bulgarians, Romanians and Albanians had a lot of contact with Greeks and also with Italians (hell, Romania speaks a Latin language and the Bulgarian alphabet is very influenced by the Greek). So it may be hard to place some Balkan countries.

But for me it’s clear that Serbs and Bosnians are closer to Central Euros than to south Europe.

Bulgarians are still Slavs though. You have some common things with Eastern Euros for example except for language and religion. Like some phenotypical overlap. Of course you also have overlap with northern Greeks. Northern Greeks are actually more similar to Bulgarians than to say Cretans.

[Moje ime]

Genetically:
Slovenes, Croats and Bosnians are closer to Central Europe.
Serbs, Montenegrins and perhaps Northern Romanians are intermediate between mainland Greece and Central Europe.

Very inaccurate. Half of today's Serbia has ancestors from Bosnia in last couple of centuries. Only Serbs with ancestors ONLY from Macedonia or southern Serbia are closer to south.

Culturally northern Serbia is closer to Central Europe, southern Serbia is culturally closer to Bulgaria.

[Benyzero]

Between slavs and meds . Leaning towards the slav side