State of Culture in Albania 2025 · Municipal profiles · Artivista Center (Qendra Artivista)
This profile is based on information provided by the Municipality of Poliçan 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) | Berat |
| Administrative units | 3: Poliçan, Tërpan, Vërtop |
| Area | 272.02 km² |
| Population, 2023 Census | 8,762 (about 32 residents per km²); 20.0% fewer than in 2011 |
| Residents aged 65 and over | 26.9% (national average 19.7%) |
| Culture programme spending (PBA) | 3.01 million lek in 2022, 3.13 million in 2023, 6.01 million in 2024 |
| Cultural institution | Directorate of the Poliçan Cultural Centre (Children's Cultural Centre, library, Palace of Culture) |
| Staff | 9 to 11 |
| Public consultations | 10 during the period 2020 - 2025 |
| Project in progress | A museum of industrial heritage in part of the former Mechanical Combine |
Summary
Poliçan, the small town on the slopes of Tomorr built around its Mechanical Combine, lost a fifth of its population between the 2011 and 2023 censuses; more than a quarter of its residents are 65 or older. Culture is run by the Directorate of the Cultural Centre, with 9 to 11 staff.
The reply does not give the culture budget. It lists specific purchases for events each year, from 383,333 lek in 2020 to 1.2 million lek in 2025. The municipality's budget plans show 3.0 to 3.1 million lek spent on the culture programme in 2022 and 2023 and 6.0 million lek in 2024. The 2024 budget included 10.7 million lek to buy the Palace of Culture building, which does not appear to have been spent that year.
The municipality plans to turn part of the former Mechanical Combine into a museum of industrial heritage in the style of Bunk'Art. The design is ready and financing is being sought. No heritage restoration was funded and there is no culture strategy.
1. Governance and institutions
The Directorate of the Poliçan Cultural Centre, on Miqësia Boulevard in the town centre, brings together the Children's Cultural Centre, the library and the Palace of Culture. Its staff grew from 9 in 2020 to 11 in 2025: a director, a head of the Children's Cultural Centre, three instructors, two librarians, a technician for the Palace of Culture, a photographer, an audiovisual operator and a cleaner.
2. Staff and funding
The listed purchases total 383,333 lek in 2020, 466,666 lek in 2021, 400,000 lek in 2022, 409,583 lek in 2023, 1,216,667 lek in 2024 and 1,200,000 lek in 2025, all without VAT. They pay for holiday cards and gifts for children, celebrations, equipment for the music studio and stage of the Children's Cultural Centre and, in 2025, traditional costumes with motifs of Poliçan (600,000 lek).
The budget plans show spending on the culture programme of 3,014,000 lek in 2022, 3,133,000 lek in 2023 and 6,007,000 lek in 2024. The 2024 budget was 16,888,000 lek, including 10,700,000 lek to buy the Palace of Culture building. The 2025 budget was revised to 6,642,000 lek, and 7,498,000 lek is planned for 2026. The cultural institutions earn no income.
3. Cultural programme
Each year follows a calendar of national and social days, from 8 March and Children's Day to Book Month, Pink October, Alphabet Day, Liberation Day and the New Year, mostly organised by the Children's Cultural Centre with social services, the health centre, the police and schools. In 2023 a New Year concert brought Albanian singers to the town, and in July 2024 the comedy “Portokalli” was performed in the central square.
4. Heritage
No restoration or other work on heritage sites took place during the period 2020 - 2025.
5. Planning and public participation
No culture strategy or local plan was adopted. Ten public consultations on culture were held, twice a year. To develop culture and tourism, the municipality is pursuing the transformation of part of the former Mechanical Combine of Poliçan into a museum and interpretation space in the style of Bunk'Art, focused on industrial tourism and heritage. The design is complete, and the procedures for its financing and construction are under way.
6. Culture across the municipality
Events are held at the Palace of Culture and in the central squares of Poliçan. Activities of the Children's Cultural Centre also include schoolchildren from Tërpan and Vërtop.
Conclusions
- The reply does not report a culture budget; the budget plans show 3 to 6 million lek spent a year in 2022 - 2024.
- The purchase of the Palace of Culture building was budgeted in 2024 but does not appear to have been completed that year.
- Listed spending on events rose from about 0.4 to 1.2 million lek a year.
- A museum of industrial heritage at the former Mechanical Combine is designed and waiting for funds.
- No heritage works were funded and there is no culture strategy.
Recommendations
Report the culture budget
Giving the approved budget and spending for culture each year would show residents what the municipality invests.
Clarify the Palace of Culture
Saying whether and when the building was bought would complete the picture.
Fund the industrial museum
The Mechanical Combine museum is a rare idea in Albania; national and EU programmes for heritage and tourism could help finance it.
A short culture strategy
Building on the yearly calendar and the museum project, a strategy discussed with residents would set clear goals.
About the data
Population figures come from the INSTAT 2023 Census. Purchases, activities, institution, staff, consultations and the museum project are as reported by the municipality in its reply (2026). Spending and budget for the culture programme come from the municipality's medium term budget plans (PBA) 2025 - 2027 and 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.
