State of Culture in Albania 2025 · Municipal profiles · Artivista Center (Qendra Artivista)
This profile is based on information provided by the Municipality of Has in reply to Artivista's request for information on culture (2026) and INSTAT's 2023 Population and Housing Census. Amounts are in Albanian lek.
At a glance
| Region (qark) | Kukës |
| Administrative units | 4: Krumë, Fajzë, Gjinaj, Golaj |
| Area | 399.62 km² |
| Population, 2023 Census | 11,684 (about 29 residents per km²) |
| Residents aged 65 and over | 12.7% (national average 19.7%) |
| Plan for cultural activities | Planned 1,250,000 lek and spent 1,102,794 lek in 2025 |
| Activities | 6 (2023), 8 (2024), 8 (2025) |
| Staff | 7 in 2023 and 2024, 8 in 2025, including the Children's Cultural Centre |
| Planned project | Etno-Historical Museum of Krumë, 60,083,590 lek |
Summary
Has, a small municipality on the border with Kosovo with one of the youngest populations in Albania, has no data on culture before 2023. For 2023 - 2025 it reports a modest programme: 6 to 8 activities a year, a staff of 7 to 8 including the Children's Cultural Centre, and between 1 and 3 million lek a year for cultural activities.
The plan for cultural activities fell from 2,947,900 lek in 2023 to 1,000,000 lek in 2024 and 1,250,000 lek in 2025, and in the last two years 81.1% and 88.2% of it was spent. The number of beneficiaries reported fell slightly each year, from 206 to 191 people.
The municipality's main ambition is an Etno-Historical Museum in Krumë, designed at 60.1 million lek, which it has sent to the Ministry several times, most recently in January 2026. There is no culture strategy, and the reply does not name the activities it organises.
1. Governance and institutions
Culture is managed by the Directorate of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport. The reply describes its functions rather than separate institutions: the protection and promotion of local heritage, including churches, monuments and museums; festivals, fairs and artistic activities; public libraries and reading spaces; and the administration of museums and cultural centres. Staff numbered 7 in 2023 and 2024 and 8 in 2025, including the staff of the Children's Cultural Centre.
2. Funding
The reply describes the figures as the approved plan for cultural activities, so they may not include the full cost of culture, such as staff. The plan was 2,947,900 lek in 2023, fully spent; 1,000,000 lek in 2024, of which 811,350 lek was spent; and 1,250,000 lek in 2025, of which 1,102,794 lek was spent. No figures are given for 2020 - 2022. The municipality earned 15,000 lek from culture in 2024 and again in 2025. In 2024 it also bought sound equipment for 1,588,560 lek.
3. Cultural programme
The municipality organised 6 activities in 2023 and 8 in both 2024 and 2025, reaching 206, 197 and 191 people respectively. The reply does not name the activities. They take place in the hall of the Palace of Culture “Pjetër Bogdani” and in the square in front of the municipality, both in Krumë.
4. Heritage
No restoration of heritage sites is reported. The main project in preparation is the Etno-Historical Museum of Krumë, designed at 60,083,590 lek including VAT, which the municipality has sent several times to the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, most recently on 30 January 2026.
5. Planning and public participation
Has has no culture strategy, and the reply does not report public consultations on culture.
6. Culture across the municipality
Both venues reported are in Krumë. The reply gives no information on cultural activities in Fajzë, Gjinaj or Golaj.
Conclusions
- Has reports cultural data only for 2023 - 2025, with 6 to 8 activities a year.
- The plan for cultural activities fell from 2.9 million lek in 2023 to 1.0 million lek in 2024 and 1.25 million lek in 2025.
- Seven to eight staff, including the Children's Cultural Centre, work on culture.
- The Krumë Etno-Historical Museum, designed at 60.1 million lek, awaits funding from the Ministry.
- There is no culture strategy, no consultation on culture and no activity outside Krumë in the reply.
Recommendations
Name and count the activities
Listing each activity with its date, place and participants would show what the programme offers residents, especially young people, who make up a large part of the population.
Report the full culture budget
The figures reported cover activities only. Publishing each year the full cost of culture, including staff and the Palace of Culture, would show the real effort of the municipality.
Prepare the museum with the community
The Krumë museum could be prepared with residents, schools and the diaspora, collecting objects and stories in advance and planning how it will be run once built, which would strengthen the case for funding.
Reach the other three units
A small yearly programme in Fajzë, Gjinaj and Golaj, for example with the Children's Cultural Centre, would bring culture closer to residents outside Krumë.
About the data
Population figures come from the INSTAT 2023 Census. All other figures are as reported by the municipality in its reply of 22 May 2026; no earlier data were available.
Every effort has been made to base this analysis on the data provided by the municipality, complemented with data from its Medium Term Budget Programmes (PBA) published online. For comments or questions, please contact artivista@arti-vista.org.
This article was prepared within the CulturAL project, with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of the National Centre for Community Services and Artivista Center and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.
