State of Culture in Albania 2025 · Municipal profiles · Artivista Center (Qendra Artivista)
This profile is based on information provided by the Municipality of Maliq 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) | Korçë |
| Administrative units | 7: Maliq, Gorë, Libonik, Moglicë, Pirg, Pojan, Vreshtas |
| Area | 656.89 km² |
| Population, 2023 Census | 31,008 (about 47 residents per km²); 25.8% fewer than in 2011 |
| Residents aged 65 and over | 21.4% (national average 19.7%) |
| Culture budget, 2024 | 12,770,000 lek for staff and 3,500,000 lek for running costs, plus 1,500,000 lek for youth and cultural activities |
| Cultural institution | None in use: the Palace of Culture “Dhimitër Orgocka” is out of use after a fire |
| Staff | 13 in the culture structure |
| Main events | International Monodrama Festival “Albamono”; Fair of Agricultural Products; Feast of the New Bread |
Summary
Maliq, on the plain north of Korçë, has had no working cultural institution during the period 2020 - 2025: its Palace of Culture “Dhimitër Orgocka” has been out of use since it was damaged by fire. Activities take place in the council hall, in premises in the town and villages and on stages built in the squares.
Despite this, Maliq keeps a full yearly calendar, prepared by the Cultural Centre “Dh. Orgocka” with 13 staff. It includes the International Monodrama Festival “Albamono”, which reached its 21st edition in 2025 with the support of the Ministry of Culture, village feasts in Pojan, Libonik, Pirg and Gorë, and the September fair of agricultural products from around 80 villages.
The reply does not give the culture budget. The municipality's 2024 budget shows 16.3 million lek for culture staff and running costs, plus 1.5 million lek for youth and cultural activities. Since 2022 Maliq has also exchanged concerts with the Greek municipality of Korinthos.
1. Governance and institutions
Culture is run by the Culture Sector in the Directorate of Culture. No cultural institution has been under the municipality's management in 2020 - 2025, because the Palace of Culture “Dhimitër Orgocka” has been out of use after a fire. The Cultural Centre “Dh. Orgocka” continues to prepare the artistic programmes of the main festivals.
2. Staff and funding
The reply does not answer the question on the culture budget. The council decision on the 2024 budget gives 12,770,000 lek for culture staff salaries and insurance and 3,500,000 lek for running costs, a total of 16,270,000 lek, and a separate fund of 1,500,000 lek for youth and cultural activities. The reply says the culture structure had 13 staff throughout 2020 - 2025, while the 2024 budget decision lists 19 staff in the Sector of Art and Cultural Heritage.
3. Cultural programme
In 2020 the pandemic limited the programme to a 7 - 8 March celebration with schools and a book presentation in November. From 2021 the calendar grew to about 15 to 18 events a year. Every year the municipality commemorates 7 - 8 March, Martyrs' Day, the founding of the “Mali i Thatë” and “Gorë - Opar” resistance units and the “6 Dëshmorët” battalion, and celebrates 28 - 29 November. The tourist season opens on 1 May at the Pheasant Forest. Summer brings the “Albamono” festival, from the 17th edition in 2021 to the 21st in 2025, the Feast of the Holy Trinity in Zvirinë (Pirg), the Rose Festival in Pojan, the Feast of the New Bread in Libonik and, from 2024, a three-day open-air cinema in the town square. The year closes with the Christmas lights concert and the “Yjet e Bashkisë” concert for excellent pupils of 61 schools. The September fair of sweets, agricultural, livestock and beekeeping products, the municipality's largest event, draws thousands of people and producers from around 80 villages.
Under a cultural cooperation with the Greek municipality of Korinthos, the folk ensemble “Iliria AL” performed in Korinthos in 2022 and 2025, and joint concerts with the Korinthos ensemble were held in Maliq in 2023 and 2024.
4. Heritage
The reply gives no answer on heritage works. The fire-damaged Palace of Culture remains the main gap in the municipality's cultural infrastructure.
5. Planning and public participation
The reply does not mention a culture strategy or public consultations on culture.
6. Culture across the municipality
Named events take place in six of the seven administrative units, all except Moglicë: Maliq town, Vreshtas, Gorë (Lozhan), Pojan, Libonik and Pirg (Zvirinë). The September fair involves all administrative units.
Conclusions
- Maliq has had no working Palace of Culture during the period, after a fire.
- A full calendar of festivals continues, led by the “Albamono” monodrama festival.
- Events take place in six of the seven administrative units.
- The 2024 budget gives 16.3 million lek for culture staff and running costs.
- The reply does not answer the questions on budget, heritage, strategy and consultations.
Recommendations
Restore the Palace of Culture
Preparing a project for the “Dhimitër Orgocka” Palace of Culture, and seeking national or EU funds, would give the rich festival calendar a home again.
Answer all the questions
Giving the budget, heritage works, strategy and consultations in the reply, not only the activities, would make Maliq comparable with other municipalities.
Build on Albamono and Korinthos
The monodrama festival and the cooperation with Korinthos already reach beyond Albania. They could be the basis for applications to EU cultural cooperation programmes.
Include Moglicë
Moglicë is the only unit with no named event. A summer event there would complete the municipality's cultural map.
About the data
Population figures come from the INSTAT 2023 Census. Activities, institutions and staff are as reported by the Culture Sector in the municipality's reply (2026). Budget figures come from the council decision approving the 2024 budget (Vendim Nr. 15, 26.12.2023).
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.
