State of Culture in Albania 2025 · Municipal profiles · Artivista Center (Qendra Artivista)
This profile is based on information provided by the Municipality of Kamëz 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) | Tiranë |
| Administrative units | 2: Kamëz, Paskuqan |
| Area | 37.20 km² |
| Population, 2023 Census | 96,137 (about 2,584 residents per km²); 7.8% fewer than in 2011 |
| Residents aged 0 - 14 and 65 and over | 19.9% and 12.6% (national averages 15.6% and 19.7%) |
| Culture budget | Approved 14,205,000 lek and spent 14,113,000 lek in 2025 |
| Cultural institution | Cultural Centre “Artan Cuku”, about 40 staff |
| Activities | From 15 in 2021 to 25 in 2024 and 2025, 104 in all |
| Public consultations | About 10 in 2020 - 2025 |
Summary
Kamëz, on the northern edge of Tirana, is by far the most densely populated municipality in this series, with 96,137 residents on 37.2 km², and one of the youngest: almost one resident in five is under 15.
Its culture budget almost tripled between 2021 and 2025, from 5.1 million lek to 14.2 million lek, and the municipality learned to spend it: the share of the budget actually spent rose every year, from 49.0% in 2021 to 99.4% in 2025. This is one of the clearest improvements in this series. The number of activities grew from 15 in 2021 to 25 in 2024 and 2025.
All this rests on one institution, the Cultural Centre “Artan Cuku”, with about 40 staff, for nearly 100,000 residents. The municipality has no culture strategy, reports no heritage works and does not name its activities. Public spaces are offered free of charge for cultural events.
1. Governance and institutions
The Cultural Centre “Artan Cuku”, in central Kamëz, organises the municipality's artistic and cultural activities. It is the only cultural institution named in the reply; no museum, library or gallery is reported. Its staff of about 40 remained stable during the period 2020 - 2025.
2. Funding
The approved culture budget was 5,100,000 lek in 2021, 9,160,000 lek in 2022, 8,900,000 lek in 2023, 11,301,000 lek in 2024 and 14,205,000 lek in 2025. Actual spending was 2,500,000 lek (49.0%), 6,500,000 lek (71.0%), 7,200,000 lek (80.9%), 11,300,000 lek (almost 100%) and 14,113,000 lek (99.4%) respectively. No figure is given for 2020. The municipality did not distribute separate grants for culture and charges no fee for the use of public spaces for cultural activities.
3. Cultural programme
The municipality reports 15 activities in 2021, 19 in 2022, 20 in 2023 and 25 in both 2024 and 2025, a total of 104, which matches the total it gives for 2020 - 2025. No activity is counted for 2020. The reply does not name the activities, festivals or events.
4. Heritage
The municipality states that it carried out no restoration or rehabilitation of heritage during the period 2020 - 2025.
5. Planning and public participation
Kamëz has no long-term culture strategy. Activities are planned through annual work plans and the approved budget programme. The municipality reports about 10 consultations in 2020 - 2025, including public hearings, meetings on the draft budget and meetings with civil society, artists and interest groups.
6. Culture across the municipality
The reply names three public spaces used for culture: the amphitheatre of Paskuqan Lake, in Paskuqan; the Frutikultura pedestrian area, in Neighbourhood no. 1; and the pedestrian area in Bathore. Two of the three are outside the centre of Kamëz.
Conclusions
- Kamëz's culture budget almost tripled from 5.1 million lek in 2021 to 14.2 million lek in 2025.
- The share of the budget actually spent rose every year, from 49.0% in 2021 to 99.4% in 2025.
- Activities grew from 15 in 2021 to 25 in 2024 and 2025, 104 in all, but are not named.
- One cultural centre with about 40 staff serves the most densely populated municipality in this series.
- There is no culture strategy and no heritage work; public spaces are offered free for cultural events.
Recommendations
Name the activities
Publishing each activity with its date, place and participants would show what the growing budget offers residents, especially children and young people.
Expand cultural spaces
One centre is a small base for almost 100,000 residents. Libraries, school halls and the three open-air spaces could become a network of cultural venues in both Kamëz and Paskuqan.
Prepare a culture strategy
A strategy for 2026 - 2030, discussed in the consultations the municipality already holds, could set targets for young audiences, venues and participation, beyond the yearly work plans.
Document local heritage
Even without restoration works, Kamëz could record its recent history, oral memory and community heritage, with residents and schools, as a basis for future cultural programmes.
About the data
Population figures come from the INSTAT 2023 Census. Budget, activities, staff, consultations and public spaces are as reported by the municipality; no budget or activity figures were given for 2020.
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.
