State of Culture in Albania 2025 · Municipal profiles · Artivista Center (Qendra Artivista)
This profile is based on information provided by the Municipality of Peqin 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) | Elbasan |
| Administrative units | 6: Peqin, Gjoçaj, Karinë, Pajovë, Përparim, Shezë |
| Area | 197.90 km² |
| Population, 2023 Census | 16,580 (about 84 residents per km²); 36.6% fewer than in 2011 |
| Residents aged 65 and over | 20.5% (national average 19.7%) |
| Culture budget | 8.81 million lek planned and 6.32 million spent in 2020; 45.93 million planned and 36.16 million spent in 2025 |
| Cultural institutions | Agency of Education, Culture, Youth, Sport and Cultural Heritage; Cultural Centre “Ferdinand Deda”; Children's Cultural Centre |
| Staff | 11 in 2020 - 2023, 12 in 2024 - 2025 |
| Heritage works | Via Egnatia restoration (18.87 million lek, 2024); reconstruction of the Cultural Centre (22 million lek, 2025) |
| Public consultations | None |
Summary
Peqin, the old town on the Shkumbin river crossed by the ancient Via Egnatia, lost more than a third of its population between the 2011 and 2023 censuses. Culture is run by an agency that also covers education, youth and sport, with 12 staff in 2025.
The culture budget grew slowly from 8.81 million lek in 2020 to 13.44 million lek in 2024, then jumped to 45.93 million lek in 2025, when the municipality fully reconstructed the Cultural Centre “Ferdinand Deda” (22 million lek). Between 66% and 81% of the budget was spent each year. In 2024 the municipality also restored a stretch of the Via Egnatia for tourism, with 18.87 million lek from another budget line.
The calendar includes nine yearly festivals, from Summer Day in March to the Fair of the Turkey in December. No public consultations on culture were held.
1. Governance and institutions
The Agency of Education, Culture, Youth, Sport and Cultural Heritage drafts policies, plans and projects for cultural and artistic life, the revitalisation of cultural assets, schools, youth and sport. It runs the Cultural Centre “Ferdinand Deda” and the Children's Cultural Centre, both on Mustafa Gjinishi Boulevard. Staff numbered 11 from 2020 to 2023 and 12 in 2024 and 2025.
2. Staff and funding
The approved budget and actual spending were 8,811,556 and 6,323,915 lek in 2020, 10,289,400 and 6,818,202 lek in 2021, 9,975,000 and 7,554,207 lek in 2022, 10,534,062 and 8,523,466 lek in 2023, 13,437,000 and 10,906,331 lek in 2024, and 45,933,020 and 36,160,875 lek in 2025. The reply does not explain the jump in 2025. The municipality's medium term budget plan 2025 - 2027 confirms the spending for 2022 and 2023 and includes the reconstruction of the Cultural Centre as a 66.44 million lek project for 2025 - 2027.
Direct spending on cultural activities is much smaller: 335,780 lek in 2020, 209,493 lek in 2021, 276,787 lek in 2022, 409,250 lek in 2023, 599,205 lek in 2024 and 950,744 lek in 2025.
3. Cultural programme
The reply describes Peqin as an old municipality with strong traditions and names nine yearly events: Summer Day (13 March), the talent show “Gjeniu i Vogël”, the 1 June celebration for preschool children, the Agrotourism Fair in August, “Klodiana Fest” in September, the Youth Marathon, the raising of the flag in Peqin on 26 November 1912, the Liberation of Peqin (12 November) and the Fair of the Turkey (6 December). Book launches and religious and sports events are also held.
4. Heritage
In 2024 the municipality restored and revitalised a stretch of the ancient Via Egnatia in Peqin for tourism, at a cost of 18,871,920 lek. In 2025 the Cultural Centre “Ferdinand Deda” was fully reconstructed, at a cost of 22,000,000 lek.
5. Planning and public participation
The municipality's approach to culture is to promote local traditions, ancient and historical heritage, historical tourism, food and the products of the Peqin area through festivals and agrotourism fairs, to support local families and farmers. No public consultations on culture were held during the period 2020 - 2025. Planned projects are the revitalisation and lighting of Peqin Castle, a museum building for the Peqin area, the second lot of the Via Egnatia, and a men's group of older singers and folk musicians for the area's traditional songs.
6. Culture across the municipality
Events take place inside Peqin Castle and in the square in front of the Palace of Culture. The reply gives no information on activities in the five other units.
Conclusions
- Between 66% and 81% of the culture budget was spent each year.
- The budget more than tripled in 2025, with the reconstruction of the Cultural Centre.
- The Via Egnatia restoration of 2024 was paid from another budget line.
- Nine yearly festivals mark the calendar, from March to December.
- No public consultations on culture were held.
Recommendations
Explain the 2025 budget
Saying how much of the 2025 budget went to the Cultural Centre works, and how much to activities, would make the jump easy to understand.
Consult residents
With the Cultural Centre rebuilt, asking residents how they want to use it would help fill it with activities.
Build on the Via Egnatia
The restored route, the castle and the planned museum could form one visitor itinerary, with national or EU support.
Reach the villages
Holding some of the yearly festivals in Gjoçaj, Karinë, Pajovë, Përparim and Shezë would bring culture to all residents.
About the data
Population figures come from the INSTAT 2023 Census. Budget, activities, institutions, staff, heritage works and plans are as reported by the municipality in its reply (2026). The project for the Cultural Centre comes 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.
