State of Culture in Albania 2025 · Municipal profiles · Artivista Center (Qendra Artivista)
This profile is based on information provided by the Municipality of Këlcyrë in reply to Artivista's request for information on culture (2026) and INSTAT's 2023 Population and Housing Census. Amounts are in Albanian lek.
At a glance
| Region (qark) | Gjirokastër |
| Administrative units | 4: Këlcyrë, Ballaban, Sukë, Dishnicë |
| Area | 304.65 km² |
| Population, 2023 Census | 4,400 (about 14 residents per km²); 28.0% fewer than in 2011 |
| Residents aged 65 and over | 28.2% (national average 19.7%) |
| Culture budget | None approved in 2020 - 2025 |
| Cultural institution | Multifunctional Cultural Centre |
| Heritage funds | None allocated |
Summary
Këlcyrë, in the Vjosa valley, is one of the smallest municipalities in this series, with 4,400 residents spread over four administrative units. Its population fell by 28% between the two censuses, and more than one resident in four is aged 65 or over.
The municipality has not approved a culture budget in any year of the period 2020 - 2025. Culture is run through a Multifunctional Cultural Centre, and the programme follows the civic and national calendar: the November holidays, New Year, 7 and 8 March, Pink October, Martyrs' Day on 5 May, Europe Day, 1 June and book presentations. The municipality confirms that it paid for these activities, but gives no amounts.
No funds went to heritage, and there is no culture plan, no public consultation on culture and no income from culture. The reply does not say how many people work on culture. It does say that a team is preparing future action plans and projects.
1. Governance and institutions
The Multifunctional Cultural Centre is the only cultural institution of the municipality and the main venue for its activities. The reply gives no information on its staff or structure.
2. Funding
Këlcyrë has no culture budget. The reply states that money was spent on cultural activities during 2020 - 2025, but does not give a total or a figure for any year. The cultural institution earns no income.
3. Cultural programme
The municipality supports a yearly calendar of commemorations and celebrations: the Independence and Liberation days of 28 and 29 November, New Year, 7 and 8 March, Pink October, Martyrs' Day on 5 May, Europe Day, Children's Day on 1 June and book presentations. Most take place in the Multifunctional Cultural Centre, others in premises across the administrative units. The reply does not count the events or their participants.
4. Heritage
No funds or grants were allocated to the restoration or rehabilitation of heritage sites in 2020 - 2025.
5. Planning and public participation
The municipality has no local plan or policy document on culture and held no public consultation on culture in the period. It states that a team is working on future action plans and projects, without further detail.
6. Culture across the municipality
According to the reply, the activities listed above take place in all four administrative units: Këlcyrë, Ballaban, Sukë and Dishnicë.
Conclusions
- Këlcyrë approved no culture budget in 2020 - 2025 and does not quantify what it spent on culture.
- Culture is run through one Multifunctional Cultural Centre, with no staff figures reported.
- The programme consists of national and civic celebrations, held across the four units.
- There were no heritage funds, no culture plan, no public consultation and no income from culture.
- The population is small, ageing and fell by 28% between the two censuses.
Recommendations
Create a culture budget line
Even a small yearly budget for the Cultural Centre, with planned and actual spending, would make it possible to see what the municipality invests in culture.
Count the activities
Recording each year the number of events, where they took place and how many people attended would show how culture reaches the four units.
Include older residents and the diaspora
With more than a quarter of residents aged 65 or over and many families abroad, activities built around memory, music and local traditions could involve both groups, especially in summer.
Turn the planned work into a plan
The team preparing future projects could present a short culture plan to residents, including a list of local heritage that deserves care or funding.
About the data
Population figures come from the INSTAT 2023 Census. All other information is as reported by the municipality in its reply, a scanned letter read page by page. No medium term budget plan (PBA) was available for Këlcyrë.
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.
