Historically, this part of the world has been at times a place of refuge for scholars from the northern wars; in early modern times, they were often of an alchemical bent, writing treatises under the patronage of the local nobility, and sending them off to the German book fairs. There's also a strong impulse to a vivification of life by the mythic and the ancient; the fantasy sections of the bookstores seem comparatively well-stocked, relative to other parts of the region. (Though it is common to the region; in Belgrade at night these days, a colossal LED image of a (14th c?) king lours over the river bridges.) And with the tech boom, like the American Pacific Northwest, the costs of living in this area have significantly outpaced both what the underlying non-tech economy could support, and the country's historical balance of income allocation. While there are certainly a good number of penurious folks, the standard of living in this part of the world is very high, even relative to countries with higher income levels; second homes in the country appear to be quite common, and housing is generally very liveable. (This part of the world sees it as a social obligation to build a sufficient number of homes for the population.)
But with the surging rents locally, it's clear that some sort of Camelot is being conceived. According to the old (Norman) legends, Camelot was created by Merlin's tracing of a circle in the earth. When value outpaces worth, look carefully at the sources of irrational desire.