State of Culture in Albania 2025 · Municipal profiles · Artivista Center (Qendra Artivista)
This profile is based on information provided by the Municipality of Mirditë 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) | Lezhë |
| Administrative units | 7: Rrëshen, Rubik, Fan, Kaçinar, Kthellë, Orosh, Selitë |
| Area | 869.71 km² |
| Population, 2023 Census | 13,625 (about 16 residents per km²); 38.4% fewer than in 2011 |
| Residents aged 65 and over | 22.2% (national average 19.7%) |
| Culture and tourism budget | 10.72 million lek planned and 10.53 million spent in 2020; 27.47 million planned and 20.19 million spent in 2025 |
| Cultural institutions | Palace of Culture “Gjok Beci” and Rrëshen Museum, Children's Cultural Centres in Rrëshen and Rubik, Info Kulla in Rubik |
| Staff | 23 (2025) |
| Activities | 21 named activities during the period 2020 - 2025 |
| Income from culture | 50,000 lek from hall rentals, 2022 - 2025 |
Summary
Mirditë, the mountain municipality around Rrëshen and Rubik, lost 38% of its population between the 2011 and 2023 censuses, while the civil registry still lists almost three times as many residents as the census counted.
The municipality runs the Palace of Culture “Gjok Beci” with the Rrëshen Museum, two Children's Cultural Centres and the Info Kulla in Rubik, with 23 staff in 2025. Its budget for heritage, events and culture and for tourism grew from 10.72 million lek in 2020 to 27.47 million lek in 2025. Between 93% and 98% was spent each year until 2024, and 73.5% in 2025.
The reply lists 21 activities, from concerts for religious and national holidays to exhibitions on local figures and a memorial concert for the Spaç prison revolt. No heritage restoration was funded and no culture strategy was adopted, but the municipality has started an inventory of its stone towers (kulla) and cultural and natural monuments.
1. Governance and institutions
The Palace of Culture “Gjok Beci” and the Rrëshen Museum organise cultural and artistic activities and preserve and promote the area's historical, cultural and ethnographic heritage. The Children's Cultural Centres in Rrëshen and Rubik hold cultural, artistic and educational activities for children, young people and the community. The Info Kulla in Rubik provides tourist information and guides visitors.
2. Staff and funding
Planned and actual spending for heritage, events, art and culture was 8,357,000 and 8,274,422 lek in 2020, and 19,147,025 and 14,900,695 lek in 2025. For tourism development it was 2,363,000 and 2,260,113 lek in 2020, and 8,325,545 and 5,290,710 lek in 2025. Together, between 92.9% and 98.3% of the budget was spent in 2020 - 2024, and 73.5% in 2025.
In the medium term budget plan 2026 - 2028, culture is part of a large programme that also covers education, social services and sport. Within it, staff for heritage, museums and libraries (10 positions) cost 19.17 million lek in 2025 and are planned at 15.67 - 15.84 million lek a year in 2026 - 2028. Equipment for the Rrëshen museum was budgeted at 3,000,000 lek in 2025. The municipality reports 23 staff in its cultural institutions in 2025. Seven hall rentals at the Palace of Culture brought in 50,000 lek in 2022 - 2025; no funds were distributed to others.
3. Cultural programme
The 21 listed activities include exhibitions on Prend Doçi, Abbot of Mirditë, and on the painter Keisi Pepkolaj; concerts of the Mirdita Ensemble in the “Abat Doçi” square for Easter, Independence Day and the return of emigrants; festive concerts for Shën Marku in Fan, Shna Ndou in Kurbnesh and Shëlbuemi in Rubik; the memorial concert “Tingujt e Kujtesës” for the 51st anniversary of the Spaç revolt, with Fondacioni Kujto.Al and Konrad Adenauer Stiftung; an exhibition with the Institute for the Study of Communist Crimes and their Consequences; a book launch on the Qafë-Bari revolt; beekeeping tourism with the Beekeepers' Association and partners; and a charity Christmas concert.
4. Heritage
No funds were used for restoration or other work on heritage sites during the period 2020 - 2025.
5. Planning and public participation
Mirditë has no culture strategy or plan, and none is in preparation. The municipality has worked on an inventory of the area's characteristic towers (kulla), cultural monuments and natural monuments, to build a database for their future protection and promotion. No public consultations on culture were held.
6. Culture across the municipality
Most activities take place in Rrëshen, at the Palace of Culture, the “Abat Doçi” square and the Children's Cultural Centre, and in Rubik, at the Children's Cultural Centre and near the Shëlbuemi church. The former Spaç prison hosts memorial activities and visits. In the other units, activities are occasional and linked to local festivities.
Conclusions
- The culture and tourism budget grew from 10.72 million lek in 2020 to 27.47 million lek in 2025.
- Between 93% and 98% of it was spent each year until 2024; in 2025 the share fell to 73.5%.
- The programme mixes concerts, exhibitions and memory of the communist period, including Spaç.
- An inventory of towers and monuments has started, but no heritage works were funded.
- Activities are concentrated in Rrëshen and Rubik.
Recommendations
Explain 2025
With the budget doubled in 2025, explaining why only 73.5% was spent would help plan the coming years.
Turn the inventory into a plan
Publishing the inventory of towers and monuments and choosing a few priorities for care would be a first step towards a culture strategy.
Consult residents
Holding at least one public consultation on culture each year would let residents shape the programme.
Reach the mountain units
Supporting some events in Fan, Kaçinar, Kthellë, Orosh and Selitë would bring culture to residents far from Rrëshen and Rubik.
About the data
Population figures come from the INSTAT 2023 Census. Budget, activities, institutions, staff, spaces and income are as reported by the municipality in its reply (2026). Figures for staff positions and museum equipment come from the municipality's medium term budget plan (PBA) 2026 - 2028.
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.
