This thesis explores the presence of Balkanism, manifested as a particular Western discourse on the Balkans in Swedish travelogues. Due to the very nature of the genre, which allows opinions, presumptions and attitudes to be expressed straightforwardly, travelogues offer a breeding ground for the Balkanic stereotypes to thrive and further establish themselves as facts. Balkanism has been thoroughly examined and criticized by Maria Todorova in her work titled Imagining the Balkans (1997.). In addition to Todorova, this thesis refers to Bastards of Long Duration (2014.), written by Andrea Matošević and Tea Škokić, the work which explores and criticizes Balkanist discourses but does not strictly follow the line of criticism in Todorova. Despite the differences, it is important to draw a valid conclusion from both critical approaches and once again draw attention to the existence of Balkanism and the fact that it is the West that continuously partakes, consciously or unconsciously, in the hermeneutical construction of the knowledge and understanding of the Balkans. Swedish travel writers, particularly those discussed in this work, have greatly contributed to the phenomenon of balkanism by adhering to stereotypes in depicting the peoples from the Balkans as nothing but primitive, rugged, barbarian and unsightly.