The “Cultural Heritage and Museums” programme will continue investments in traditional towers while strengthening heritage protection structures and supporting initiatives that promote both tangible and intangible cultural assets.

Particular attention will go to northern Albania’s traditional towers, which represent some of the country’s most distinctive architectural, historical and ethnographic landmarks. In cooperation with GIZ, restoration and revitalisation efforts aim to expand cultural and mountain tourism, encourage local entrepreneurship and create new development opportunities for communities, particularly young people.

Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport Blendi Gonxhja said authorities had completed an inventory of 650 towers across the Dibër, Shkodër, Lezhë and Kukës regions. Meanwhile, in cooperation with the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, experts have prepared restoration and revitalisation projects for 28 towers classified as cultural monuments. These projects will serve as the basis for future on-site interventions.

Alongside restoration investments, the ministry will introduce a dedicated grant scheme worth ALL 30 million. The funding will support cultural activities and small-scale infrastructure improvements aimed at promoting the tangible and intangible heritage associated with northern Albania’s towers.

The 2027 programme will also strengthen cultural heritage institutions through higher current expenditure and further reforms. One key measure involves continuing salary increases for restoration specialists and workers, recognising the demanding conditions and risks associated with their work, particularly at high altitudes and in difficult terrain.

A total of 93 employees are expected to benefit. The proposed monthly salary supplements amount to ALL 15,000 for 62 restoration specialists and ALL 20,000 for 31 restoration workers.

Another measure предусматри the establishment of a dedicated cultural heritage inspection structure to strengthen oversight and protection. The body will inspect cultural assets, identify violations and impose penalties for illegal interventions on monuments, unauthorised excavations and breaches of heritage management regulations.

Revenue generated through these penalties will go to the National Cultural Heritage Care Fund, helping finance further preservation and protection activities.

The reform will also strengthen the capacities of the National Museum of Secret Surveillance, known as the “House of Leaves”, Albania’s only museum of its kind. A 13% increase in visitor numbers, alongside the expansion of its cultural and educational activities, has created the need for additional staff. The museum’s new organisational structure will therefore include five additional positions to improve its operations and visitor services.

The programme also foresees support for other cultural initiatives in 2027, including Museum Week, Albania’s participation in the Venice Architecture Biennale and the Mediterranean Exchange of Archaeological Tourism in Paestum, Italy. It will also support traditional crafts and programmes dedicated to intangible cultural heritage.

Through these measures, the government aims to combine restoration investments with stronger institutional capacities, wider cultural promotion and new opportunities for sustainable cultural tourism development.