State of Culture in Albania 2025 · Municipal profiles · Artivista Center (Qendra Artivista)
This profile is based on the annual performance reports (Annexes 3 and 4) of the culture programme for 2021 - 2025, sent by the Municipality of Lezhë in reply to Artivista's request for information on culture (2026), and on INSTAT's 2023 Population and Housing Census. Amounts are in Albanian lek.
At a glance
| Region (qark) | Lezhë |
| Administrative units | 10: Lezhë, Balldren, Blinisht, Dajç, Kallmet, Kolsh, Shëngjin, Shënkoll, Ungrej, Zejmen |
| Area | 514.97 km² |
| Population, 2023 Census | 51,354 (about 100 residents per km²); 21.8% fewer than in 2011 |
| Residents aged 65 and over | 20.0% (national average 19.7%) |
| Culture and tourism programme | 32.0 million lek spent in 2020; 55.9 million in 2024 and 55.0 million in 2025, as summed in the annual reports |
| Staff, 2025 | 16 in museums and library; 12 in art and culture |
| Visitors to museums and historic sites | 29,628 in 2024 and 31,935 in 2025 |
| Library readers | 2,770 in 2024 and 5,119 in 2025 |
| New in 2025 | Statue of Skanderbeg; Archaeological Museum under construction |
Summary
Lezhë is where Skanderbeg is buried and where he gathered the Albanian nobles in the League of Lezhë in 1444. The municipality did not send a reply letter; instead it sent the yearly performance reports of its culture programme for 2021 - 2025, which this profile uses.
According to these reports, spending rose sharply in 2024 and 2025, to about 55 million lek a year. In 2024 the increase came mainly from 30.4 million lek spent on maintaining cultural buildings; in 2025 a statue of Skanderbeg was completed for 11.0 million lek and work on an Archaeological Museum began, with 4.1 million lek spent.
Visitors to museums and historic sites reached 31,935 in 2025, and library readers almost doubled to 5,119. The reports also show some inconsistencies, such as maintenance described as done with very little spent, and the yearly totals are not always comparable, because the set of indicators changes from year to year.
1. Governance and institutions
The reports do not name the cultural institutions one by one, but they follow staff and spending for museums and the library, and for art and culture. A Culture Council of 5 members was paid 135,000 lek a year in 2022 and 2023. From 2024 the programme is called “Tourism and Culture”, code AE127, with three goals: year-round tourism, protecting and promoting historic sites, libraries and museums, and promoting cultural values and local and national identity.
2. Staff and funding
The totals in the annual reports are 31,984,500 lek for 2020, 33,461,940 lek for 2021, 26,970,696 lek for 2022, 24,587,100 lek for 2023, 55,942,400 lek for 2024 and 54,952,909 lek for 2025. Each total is the sum of the spending linked to the indicators followed that year, so the following year's report sometimes gives a different figure for the same year: 23,255,740 lek for 2021 and 21,769,800 lek for 2022. The 2021 total also counts library spending of 3,699,200 lek twice and includes 819,000 lek of ticket income.
The programme had 29 staff in 2020 and 2021. In 2022 there were 27, against a plan of 28, with the report citing a shortage of funds; 11 of them worked in the museum and memorial. Museum and library staff numbered 17 in 2023 and 16 in 2024 and 2025, and art and culture staff 11 in 2023, 13 in 2024 and 12 in 2025.
3. Cultural programme
The number of activities was 8 in 2020, 17 in 2021, 64 in 2022, of which 53 had no cost, 29 in 2023, of which 12 were not planned, and 15 in both 2024 and 2025. Visitors to the museum and memorial were 4,468 in 2020 and 4,904 in 2021, below plan because of the pandemic; tickets for visits to Skanderbeg's burial place rose from 2,351 to 4,394, with income rising from 274,100 to 819,000 lek. Visitors to heritage and cultural services reached 11,852 in 2022 and 18,454 in 2023, and visitors to museums and historic centres 29,628 in 2024 and 31,935 in 2025. Library readers rose from 2,770 to 5,119 between 2024 and 2025, although the reading room was not furnished. Three grants a year support young talent.
4. Heritage
The statue of Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg was completed in 2025 for 10,965,767 lek, against a plan of 11,027,938 lek. The Archaeological Museum was planned for 2024 with 5,483,100 lek, but the project was not carried out by the donor that year; in 2025 work was under way, with 4,117,894 lek spent of 5,278,952 lek planned. In 2021, the strengthening of the Palace of Culture and the library did not start because the project had not been prepared. Some maintenance figures do not match their comments: in 2023, 451,000 lek were spent against a revised plan of 38,793,800 lek although maintenance is described as done, while in 2025 the reports say the Gallery of Arts, the museum and the memorial were not maintained, although 4,935,396 lek and 1,705,547 lek were recorded for these lines.
5. Planning and public participation
The reports do not mention a culture strategy or public consultations. Their policy goals focus on tourism, the protection of historic sites and the promotion of local and national identity.
6. Culture across the municipality
The reports give all figures for the municipality as a whole, with no breakdown by administrative unit.
Conclusions
- Lezhë sent its annual performance reports instead of a reply letter.
- Spending rose to about 55 million lek a year in 2024 and 2025, mainly for building maintenance, the Skanderbeg statue and the Archaeological Museum.
- Visitors to museums and historic sites reached 31,935 in 2025, and library readers almost doubled.
- Yearly totals are not always comparable, because the indicators change from year to year.
- Some maintenance figures do not match the comments in the reports.
Recommendations
Reply to the questions directly
A short reply on institutions, staff, consultations, heritage funds, income and activities by unit would complete the picture given by the performance reports.
Keep the same indicators
Following the same indicators each year, and giving the full programme budget separately, would make Lezhë's figures comparable over time.
Check the maintenance figures
Explaining the lines where spending and comments do not match would increase trust in the reports.
Connect the heritage sites
With the Skanderbeg Memorial, the castle, the new statue and the future Archaeological Museum, a joint visitor route and programme would serve residents and visitors to Shëngjin alike.
About the data
Population figures come from the INSTAT 2023 Census. All other figures come from the annual performance reports (Annexes 3 and 4) of the culture programme 08220 / AE127 for 2021 - 2025, sent by the municipality in response to the request for information.
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.
