State of Culture in Albania 2025 · Municipal profiles · Artivista Center (Qendra Artivista)
This profile is based on information provided by the Municipality of Mallakastër 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) | Fier |
| Administrative units | 9: Ballsh, Aranitas, Fratar, Greshicë, Hekal, Kutë, Ngraçan, Qendër Dukas, Selitë |
| Area | 329.37 km² |
| Population, 2023 Census | 15,838 (about 48 residents per km²); 41.5% fewer than in 2011 |
| Residents aged 65 and over | 26.1% (national average 19.7%) |
| Culture programme budget (PBA) | 18.42 million lek in 2024, planned to rise to 20.57 million in 2027 |
| Cultural structures | Directorate of Culture, Tourism, Education and Health (9 staff); Historical Museum (1 staff) |
| Activities | About 50 a year |
| Strategy | Marketing and Branding Strategy for Mallakastër Tourism (AICS, EU funded) |
| Income from culture | None for the municipality; the ticketed Bylis Archaeological Park is run by a national directorate |
Summary
Mallakastër, with its centre in Ballsh and the ancient city of Bylis on its territory, lost more than 40% of its population between the 2011 and 2023 censuses. More than a quarter of its residents are 65 or older.
Culture is run by a Directorate of Culture, Tourism, Education and Health of 9 staff, based in the Palace of Culture “Dino Kalenja” in Ballsh, and by the Historical Museum with 1 staff member. The municipality organises about 50 activities a year, from historical anniversaries to concerts, fairs and social events.
The reply gives no budget figures. The municipality's medium term budget plan shows 18.42 million lek for the culture programme in 2024, rising to 20.57 million lek planned for 2027. The same document leaves the spending figures for 2022 and 2023 empty for all programmes, so spending on culture before 2024 is not known.
1. Governance and institutions
The Directorate of Culture, Tourism, Education and Health organises festive, artistic, cultural, historical, literary and social events. It works from the Palace of Culture “Dino Kalenja” in Ballsh, which also houses the library, the cinema and the music hall, and has 9 staff. The Historical Museum in Ballsh, with 1 staff member, keeps and documents the history of the Mallakastër area and continues to collect material and oral evidence of it.
2. Staff and funding
The culture programme (heritage, monuments, museums and libraries) has a budget of 18,416,000 lek in 2024, 19,256,000 lek in 2025, 19,891,000 lek in 2026 and 20,574,000 lek in 2027. The spending columns for 2022 and 2023 show zero for every programme and every income line of the municipality, so they were not filled in.
In 2024, 8,326,000 lek went to staff, 6,970,000 lek to goods and services and 3,120,000 lek to investment: air conditioning for the Palace of Culture in Ballsh (3,000,000 lek) and a laptop for the culture sector (120,000 lek). The budget plan counts 11 staff in the programme, while the reply reports 9 in the Directorate.
3. Cultural programme
The reply estimates about 50 activities a year. Some are fixed every year, such as historical anniversaries and national days; others are new, such as concerts, promotional events, fairs and social activities. The budget plan records 45 cultural and artistic events supported by municipal funds.
4. Heritage
The reply does not answer the question on restoration or other work on heritage sites. The only cultural site that earns money, the Bylis Archaeological Park, charges an entrance fee but has been run for several years by the national Directorate of the Apollonia - Bylis Archaeological Parks, which manages its income on behalf of the Ministry of Tourism and Sport.
5. Planning and public participation
The municipality names the Marketing and Branding Strategy for Mallakastër Tourism, coordinated by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) and funded by the European Commission. Several public consultations were held for the project “BYLIS EU for Economic Development”, which focuses on tourism and cultural heritage.
6. Culture across the municipality
In Ballsh, events take place in the town centre, around the Artificial Lake, in the square near the former train station and near monuments such as the Basilica of Saint Mary. Indoor venues include the Palace of Culture, the municipality, the Historical Museum, the Multifunctional Centre and the Children's Cultural Centre. In the villages, events use the central squares. Historical activities were held in five of the nine units: Ballsh, Aranitas, Fratar, Hekal and Greshicë.
Conclusions
- The culture programme has about 18 - 21 million lek a year in the budget plan for the period 2024 - 2027.
- Spending on culture before 2024 is not documented.
- About 50 activities are held each year, mostly in Ballsh.
- The income of the Bylis Archaeological Park goes to the national level, not to the municipality.
- The municipality has a tourism strategy prepared with Italian and EU support.
Recommendations
Report the culture budget
Giving the yearly budget and spending for culture, including the years 2020 - 2023, would show how much the municipality invests in culture.
Answer the heritage questions
Even if no heritage works were funded, saying so clearly would complete the picture.
Link Bylis with the town
Agreeing with the national directorate on joint events, or on part of the park's income supporting local culture, would let residents benefit more from Bylis.
Reach all nine units
Extending the programme beyond the five units that host historical activities would bring culture to more villages.
About the data
Population figures come from the INSTAT 2023 Census. Institutions, staff, activities, strategy, consultations, spaces and income are as reported by the Directorate of Culture, Tourism, Education and Health in the municipality's reply (2026). Budget figures come from the municipality's medium term budget plan (PBA) 2025 - 2027.
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.
