State of Culture in Albania 2025 · Municipal profiles · Artivista Center (Qendra Artivista)
This profile is based on information provided by the Municipality of Mat 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) | Dibër |
| Administrative units | 8: Burrel, Baz, Derjan, Komsi, Lis, Macukull, Rukaj, Ulëz |
| Area | 493.81 km² |
| Population, 2023 Census | 17,405 (about 35 residents per km²); 36.9% fewer than in 2011 |
| Residents aged 65 and over | 21.0% (national average 19.7%) |
| Culture budget, 2025 | 22.43 million lek planned, 21.50 million spent (95.9%) |
| Cultural institutions | Palace of Culture “Shefqet Doda”, Historical Museum, “Pjetër Budi” Library, Children's Cultural Centre, Tourism Sector |
| Staff | 28 |
| Activities | 0 in 2020, 7 in 2023, 60 in 2024, 25 in 2025 |
| Income from culture | About 100,000 lek a year from hall rentals |
Summary
Mat, with its centre in Burrel, lost more than a third of its population between the 2011 and 2023 censuses. Culture is delivered by five institutions with 28 staff in total: the Palace of Culture, the Historical Museum, the Public Library, the Children's Cultural Centre and the Tourism Sector.
In 2025 the municipality planned 22.43 million lek for culture and spent 21.50 million, or 95.9%. Most of it paid for staff. The number of activities rose from none in 2020 to 7 in 2023, jumped to 60 in 2024 and fell to 25 in 2025.
No funds were available for heritage restoration during the period 2020 - 2025, and the municipality has no culture strategy; activities follow a yearly plan.
1. Governance and institutions
The Palace of Culture “Shefqet Doda”, in Geraldinë Park in Burrel, has 300 seats for concerts, festivals, theatre and cinema, and 9 staff (5 permanent and 4 on contract). On “Rexhep Pashë Mati” Street are the Historical Museum of Mat (3 staff), the “Pjetër Budi” Public Library for readers of all ages (6 staff), the Children's Cultural Centre, which looks for young talent in art and culture (7 staff), and the Tourism Sector, which promotes the area's heritage (3 staff). The reply was signed by the Director of Community and Cultural Services.
2. Staff and funding
For 2025 the culture programme had 22,430,550 lek planned and 21,501,078 lek spent: 18,016,818 lek for salaries, 3,144,045 lek for social insurance, 289,615 lek for goods and services and 50,600 lek for transfers to individuals. The reply gives figures for 2025 only.
An earlier budget plan of the municipality, for 2022 - 2024, shows that 7,996,000 lek were spent on the culture programme in 2019 and 8,060,000 lek in 2020, when the programme mainly supported the Cultural Centre; it planned 9,130,000 lek for 2022, 9,230,000 lek for 2023 and 9,440,000 lek for 2024. Hall rentals bring in about 100,000 lek a year.
3. Cultural programme
The municipality held no activities in 2020, 2 in 2021, 7 in 2022 and 7 in 2023, then 60 in 2024 and 25 in 2025. The reply does not explain the sharp rise in 2024. Festivals, fairs and concerts follow the yearly plan.
4. Heritage
The reply states that there were no funds for restoration during the period 2020 - 2025.
5. Planning and public participation
The municipality has no proper strategic plan for culture: activities follow the plan and projects approved by the directorate at the start of each year. There are no strategies or action plans for the coming years. Some consultations were held through civil society organisations that showed interest.
6. Culture across the municipality
Festivals, fairs and concerts take place in Geraldinë Park and in the “Kastriotët” and “Ahmet Zogu” squares in Burrel. Activities in the administrative units follow the plans that the units propose for their local festivities.
Conclusions
- Five institutions with 28 staff deliver culture in Mat.
- In 2025, 95.9% of the culture budget was spent, most of it on salaries.
- Activities rose from none in 2020 to 60 in 2024, then fell to 25 in 2025.
- No funds were available for heritage restoration.
- There is no culture strategy; activities are planned year by year.
Recommendations
Explain the activity numbers
Saying what changed in 2024, when activities rose from 7 to 60, would show whether the programme grew or was counted differently.
A culture strategy
A short strategy, built on the yearly plans and discussed with residents, would give the five institutions shared goals.
A small heritage fund
Even a modest yearly amount for heritage care would allow the municipality to start work with national institutions.
Culture in the villages
Supporting the local festivities proposed by the administrative units with a set budget would bring more culture outside Burrel.
About the data
Population figures come from the INSTAT 2023 Census. Budget, activities, institutions, staff, consultations and income are as reported by the Directorate of Community Services in the municipality's reply (2026). Spending for 2019 and 2020 and the plan for 2022 - 2024 come from the municipality's medium term budget plan (PBA) 2022 - 2024.
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.
