State of Culture in Albania 2025 · Municipal profiles · Artivista Center (Qendra Artivista)
This profile is based on information provided by the Municipality of Kuçovë 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) | Berat |
| Administrative units | 4: Kuçovë, Kozarë, Lumas, Perondi |
| Area | 160.33 km² |
| Population, 2023 Census | 31,077 (about 194 residents per km²); 0.6% fewer than in 2011 |
| Residents aged 65 and over | 24.4% (national average 19.7%) |
| Culture budget (programme 08220) | 8.8 million lek planned and 6.8 million spent in 2020; 16.4 million planned and 15.9 million spent in 2025 |
| Cultural institution | Cultural Centre, with 4 sectors |
| Staff | 11 |
| Activities | 20 in the annual calendar |
Summary
Kuçovë, a former oil town in the Berat region, runs culture through a single Cultural Centre with four sectors: cultural heritage, culture, a youth centre and the public library. The Centre has 11 staff.
Its budget almost doubled, from 8.8 million lek planned in 2020 to 16.4 million lek in 2025, and the share actually spent rose from 76.9% to 96.6%, with a dip in 2023. Salaries account for most of the growth, but spending on goods and services rose more than eightfold, from 0.5 to 4.3 million lek.
The Centre runs a calendar of 20 recurring activities, from poetry and book days to Kuçova Summer Fest, Sofra Kuçovare and festivals in Kozarë and Perondi. It carried out no heritage works, has no local culture plan and generates no income. The population has stayed stable overall, but the town itself has shrunk.
1. Governance and institutions
The Cultural Centre depends on the municipality. Its aims are to promote art and culture, develop artistic life in Kuçovë, support young talent, offer cultural education for children and young people, promote reading and preserve local identity and traditions. Its four sectors, cultural heritage, culture, the youth centre and the public library, remained the same during the period 2020 - 2025.
2. Staff and funding
The table attached to the reply gives a plan of 8,836,586 lek and spending of 6,798,139 lek in 2020, 8,783,413 and 7,732,430 lek in 2021, 10,028,088 and 9,420,266 lek in 2022, 12,790,460 and 11,490,817 lek in 2023, 14,748,340 and 14,245,456 lek in 2024, and 16,417,000 and 15,863,918 lek in 2025. Salaries and social insurance rose from 5.8 to 11.1 million lek spent, and goods and services from 520,060 to 4,255,735 lek. Capital spending ranged from 269,600 lek in 2021 to 1,110,819 lek in 2024, with none in 2022. The Centre has 11 staff and generates no income.
3. Cultural programme
The calendar repeated each year includes Summer Day on 14 March, World Poetry Day, International Children's Book Day, World Book and Copyright Day, International Music Day in June, Kuçova Summer Fest in August, a heritage event in September, Sofra Kuçovare and the literature month activity “Mozaik” in October, the 28 - 29 November celebrations and a year-end concert. Through the year there are Open Cinema screenings, European Cinema Nights, art exhibitions, book presentations and meetings with writers, the reading programme “Dritare Magjike”, folk concerts and partnerships with other cultural actors.
4. Heritage
The Cultural Centre carried out no restoration or other work on heritage sites during the period 2020 - 2025.
5. Planning and public participation
Kuçovë had no local culture plan during the period and does not have one now. The reply does not mention public consultations on culture.
6. Culture across the municipality
Activities take place in public squares and recreational parks. Two are tied to a specific unit, “Kozarja n'festë” in Kozarë and the Olive Festival in Perondi. The reply gives no information on Lumas or figures by unit.
Conclusions
- Kuçovë's culture budget almost doubled during the period 2020 - 2025.
- The share actually spent rose from 76.9% to 96.6%, with a dip in 2023.
- Spending on goods and services rose more than eightfold.
- The Cultural Centre runs a calendar of 20 recurring activities with 11 staff.
- There were no heritage works, no local culture plan and no income from culture.
Recommendations
Prepare a local culture plan
A short plan, discussed with residents, could build on the existing calendar and set priorities for the library, the youth centre and heritage.
Tell the story of the oil town
Kuçovë's industrial and oil history is part of its identity. Documenting it, for example through an exhibition or a heritage trail, could also attract visitors.
Bring activities to Lumas
Lumas does not appear in the calendar. A few events a year in each unit would make culture reach the whole municipality.
Report participants
Counting participants in the main events, such as Kuçova Summer Fest, would show how residents use the growing budget.
About the data
Population figures come from the INSTAT 2023 Census. Institution, staff, activities, heritage, planning and income are as reported by the Cultural Centre in its reply of 20 May 2026. Budget figures come from the table of programme 08220 attached to the reply.
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.
