State of Culture in Albania 2025 · Municipal profiles · Artivista Center (Qendra Artivista)
This profile is based on information provided by the Municipality of Krujë 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) | Durrës |
| Administrative units | 6: Krujë, Fushë-Krujë, Thumanë, Nikël, Bubq, Cudhi |
| Area | 339.02 km² |
| Population, 2023 Census | 51,191 (about 151 residents per km²); 14.4% fewer than in 2011 |
| Residents aged 65 and over | 14.9% (national average 19.7%) |
| Budget for cultural activities | 1,650,000 lek a year, unchanged during the period 2020 - 2025 |
| Culture programme (PBA) | 13,658,000 lek planned for 2024, 13,718,000 lek for 2025 and 13,992,000 lek for 2026 |
| Structures | Directorate of Education, Culture and Sport; Children's Cultural Centre |
| Staff | 16 (8 + 8), unchanged |
| Activities | 23 in the annual calendar |
| Heritage | 2 projects supported by EU4Culture |
Summary
Krujë, the historic town of Skanderbeg, runs culture through two small structures based at the Palace of Culture “Ibrahim Bërdaku”: the Directorate of Education, Culture and Sport and the Children's Cultural Centre, with 8 staff each. The Centre offers free courses in piano, guitar, violin, accordion, singing and folk dance.
The municipality spends 1,650,000 lek a year on a fixed set of events, an amount unchanged during the period 2020 - 2025. Its medium term budget plan gives a much larger figure, about 13.7 to 14.0 million lek a year, for the whole cultural heritage programme, around 1% of the municipal budget.
Krujë has no culture budget line for heritage, but two heritage sites were restored with support from the EU4Culture programme: the National Ethnographic Museum and the “Kurcajt” bridge in Nikël. The reply describes culture in each of the six administrative units, more detail than most municipalities in this series give.
1. Governance and institutions
The Directorate of Education, Culture and Sport has a director, 2 sport specialists, an education specialist, a tourism specialist, 2 library staff and a cleaner. The Children's Cultural Centre has a director, 4 music specialists, a sport specialist and 2 choreographers. Both have kept the same 8 positions throughout 2020 - 2025. The Centre also runs football and volleyball courses on the sports ground next to the Palace of Culture.
2. Funding
The yearly budget for cultural activities is 1,650,000 lek: 500,000 lek for the KALA Fest summer concerts, 450,000 lek for the Independence and Liberation Day celebrations on 28 - 29 November, 250,000 lek for “Kruja Fest On” on 22 September, 200,000 lek for new library books, 100,000 lek for participation in the Festival of Civic Song in Elbasan, 50,000 lek each for the 7 - 8 March celebrations and Children's Day, and 50,000 lek for cups, medals and certificates. The reply says the amount has not changed in the years covered.
The medium term budget plan 2024 - 2026 gives 13,658,000 lek for 2024, 13,718,000 lek for 2025 and 13,992,000 lek for 2026 for programme 08220, cultural heritage and artistic and cultural events, which also covers staff and buildings. That is about 1% of a municipal budget of 1.38 to 1.43 billion lek. The cultural institutions generate no income; the Krujë Museum Centre is a national institution under the Ministry.
3. Cultural programme
The annual calendar lists 23 activities, from the Skanderbeg anniversary on 17 January at the Historical Museum and the children's art festival “Miku i Vogël i Artit” in May to “Rock the Castle”, KALA Fest and the Scanderbeg Hill Climb in July, “Kruja White Day” in August, Cultural Heritage Day on 29 September and the Independence and Liberation celebrations in November. Partners include the Ministry of Culture, the Albanian-American Development Foundation, the Albanian Automobile Federation and the local education directorate. National institutions such as the National Puppet Theatre, the National Circus and the University of the Arts have also held activities in Krujë's venues.
4. Heritage
The municipality has no budget line for heritage restoration; all such work has been funded by donors or through grants won in calls. During the period 2020 - 2025 the National Ethnographic Museum in Krujë was rehabilitated and the “Kurcajt” bridge, a cultural monument in Nikël, was reconstructed, both through the EU4Culture programme. The Dollma Teqe, also a monument, was reconstructed, and the “Abdyl Ages” bridge was maintained. Six venues serve cultural events, from the 300-seat “Ramiz Kovaçi” concert hall, renewed in 2022, to new halls in Thumanë and Bubq built in 2022 and a 1,000-seat open-air amphitheatre in Bubq.
5. Planning and public participation
Krujë has not had an approved culture strategy or local plan during the period 2020 - 2025. The reply says the municipality focuses instead on preparing projects and initiatives for culture, creative industries and heritage. It held 8 public consultations, on the revitalisation bonus, crafts, management of the tourist area and promotion of heritage.
6. Culture across the municipality
The reply describes each unit. Krujë town has the renewed concert hall, the museum works and most of the calendar. Fushë-Krujë has no new investment but its existing venues are maintained. Thumanë and Bubq have new halls built in 2022, with concerts, fairs and sports events. Nikël has the restored “Kurcajt” bridge, hiking, fairs and painting outdoors. In Cudhi, trail signs were maintained with the National Agency of Protected Areas, alongside tree planting and promotion of local products from the Qafështamë Nature Park.
Conclusions
- Krujë spends 1,650,000 lek a year on cultural events, unchanged since 2020.
- The full culture programme, including staff and buildings, is about 13.7 to 14.0 million lek a year, around 1% of the budget.
- Two heritage sites were restored with EU4Culture support, although the municipality has no heritage budget line.
- The reply describes cultural activity in all six administrative units.
- Krujë has no approved culture strategy, but held 8 public consultations on heritage and tourism.
Recommendations
Update the events budget
An amount unchanged for six years loses value each year. Reviewing it, and linking it to the number of visitors and participants, would show what each event achieves.
Prepare a culture strategy
Krujë already has projects, partners and a full calendar. A short strategy, discussed with residents and partners, would bring them together and help in seeking funds.
Build on the EU4Culture experience
Sharing the results of the two projects, and preparing other heritage sites in the units for future calls, would make the most of this experience.
Link culture and tourism
With the castle, the museums and the old bazaar, a joint plan with tourism operators for visitors outside the summer season would benefit both residents and the local economy.
About the data
Population figures come from the INSTAT 2023 Census. Budget for activities, calendar, staff, venues, heritage works, consultations and information by unit are as reported by the municipality in its reply of 9 July 2026. Programme figures come from the municipality's medium term budget plan (PBA) 2024 - 2026.
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.
