State of Culture in Albania 2025 · Municipal profiles · Artivista Center (Qendra Artivista)
This profile is based on information provided by the Municipality of Libohovë in reply to Artivista's request for information on culture (2026), the municipality's medium term budget plans (PBA), and INSTAT's 2023 Population and Housing Census. Amounts are in Albanian lek.
At a glance
| Region (qark) | Gjirokastër |
| Administrative units | 3: Libohovë, Qendër Libohovë, Zagorie; one town and 17 villages |
| Area | 248.24 km² |
| Population, 2023 Census | 2,765 (about 11 residents per km²); 24.6% fewer than in 2011 |
| Residents aged 65 and over | 30.7% (national average 19.7%) |
| Culture budget (reply) | Between 750,000 and 6,111,000 lek approved a year; between 26% and 46% spent |
| Cultural institution | Cultural Centre Libohovë, with the town library |
| Staff | 2 at the Cultural Centre; 1 specialist in the municipality |
| Activities | From 16 in 2020 to 21 in 2024 and 2025 |
| Public consultations | 1 or 2 a year |
Summary
Libohovë, at the foot of the Mali i Gjerë near Gjirokastër, has the smallest population in this series: 2,765 residents in 2023, almost a third of them aged 65 or over. Culture is run by the education and culture sector through a single institution, the Cultural Centre Libohovë, with two staff.
Every year the municipality spent much less on culture than it approved: between 26% and 46% of the budget. In 2024, for example, 6.1 million lek were approved and 2.1 million spent. The reply explains that activities are organised together with the schools and at no financial cost, which may explain part of the gap.
The calendar grew from 16 to 21 activities a year, from commemorations and school events to village festivals such as “Tradita Libohovite” and “Takim Brezash” in Nepravishtë. No heritage works were carried out, there is no culture strategy and the Cultural Centre generates no income.
1. Governance and institutions
The only cultural institution is the Cultural Centre Libohovë, in the town centre on Avni Rustemi Street, managed by the municipality's education and culture sector. It organises cultural activities and runs the town library. Its hall has 150 seats and a stage.
2. Staff and funding
The approved culture budget was 1,450,000 lek in 2020, 750,000 lek in 2021, 1,378,000 lek in 2022, 1,605,000 lek in 2023, 6,111,000 lek in 2024 and 3,151,000 lek in 2025. Spending was 673,000, 197,000, 406,000, 453,000, 2,054,000 and 1,063,000 lek, between 26.3% and 46.4% of the budget each year. The reply gives the same amounts as funds distributed, to between 5 and 7 beneficiaries a year.
The municipality's medium term budget plan 2026 - 2028 confirms the 2025 budget of 3,151,000 lek and plans 200,000 lek a year for culture in 2026 - 2028. It also records 29 cultural heritage assets. The Cultural Centre has 2 staff, and one specialist in the municipality is responsible for culture.
3. Cultural programme
The reply counts 16 activities in 2020, 15 in 2021, 14 in 2022, 18 in 2023 and 21 in both 2024 and 2025, including historical and commemorative dates and local and religious feasts. Under another question it gives a lower count, 7 to 9 a year. The calendar includes the anniversary of the liberation of Libohovë, homage to Avni Rustemi, the Zagoria feast in Nivan, the “Takim Brezash” feasts in Bulo and Nepravishtë, “Tradita Libohovite” in August, the “Jeto Natyrën” event at Çajup, the feasts of Labovë e Kryqit and Labovë e Sipërme, a summer camp for children and, from 2025, a song and dance festival by the Libohova ensemble.
4. Heritage
The reply lists no restoration or other work on heritage sites during the period 2020 - 2025.
5. Planning and public participation
Libohovë has no culture strategy, local plan or policy document, and no plans for the coming years. It held 1 or 2 public consultations on culture each year.
6. Culture across the municipality
Activities are spread across all three administrative units, in places of interest to visitors. Qendër Libohovë and Zagorie have no cultural venues; events there take place in village centres with the sound equipment and the mobile stage of the Cultural Centre. Yearly feasts are held in village squares and on the boulevard of Libohovë.
Conclusions
- Libohovë has the smallest population in this series, and almost a third of residents are aged 65 or over.
- Only between 26% and 46% of the approved culture budget was spent each year.
- The calendar grew from 16 to 21 activities a year, many organised with the schools at no cost.
- The 2026 - 2028 budget plan foresees only 200,000 lek a year for culture.
- There were no heritage works, no strategy and no income from culture.
Recommendations
Plan a budget that can be spent
Setting the culture budget closer to what is actually spent, or explaining why most of it remains unused, would make planning more realistic.
Use one count of activities
The reply gives two different counts. Reporting one list each year, with the number of participants, would show the real reach of the programme.
Care for the 29 heritage assets
The budget plan lists 29 cultural heritage assets. A simple plan for their maintenance and promotion, linked to Gjirokastër's visitors, could bring both care and income.
Bring the diaspora into the summer programme
With a small resident population and many people living elsewhere, the summer feasts are a chance to involve emigrants and visitors in the life of the villages.
About the data
Population figures come from the INSTAT 2023 Census. Budget, activities, funds distributed, staff, consultations and information by unit are as reported by the municipality in its reply (Nr. 1413 Prot., 2026). Plan figures and the number of heritage assets come from the municipality's medium term budget plan (PBA) 2026 - 2028, phase I.
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.
