Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Tirana

The Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Tirana was opened in 2010.

Cultural cooperation

The cultural exchange between Slovenia and Albania has been diverse, with the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Tirana serving as a driving force behind the events by Slovenian creators organised in Albania. The cooperation spans a wide range of institutional partners — festivals, universities, galleries, and national museums on both sides. Events are concentrated in Tirana, with occasional outreach to Gjirokastër, Shkodër, Korça, Durres, and Elbasan. See the summary below and the Events worldwide database for detailed information.

Film

Slovenian films have been screened at several Albanian festivals, including the Tirana International Film Festival, the Women International Film Festival Tirana, DocuTiff, and the Francophone Spring. Notable screenings include Consequences (Posledice) by Darko Štante (2024), Ivan by Janez Burger (2019), The Miner by Hanna A. W. Slak (2019), The Raft of Medusa by Karpo Godina (2019), and Liberation Day, a documentary about Laibach's North Korea concerts — screened in both 2018 and 2019 in Tirana and Gjirokastër. A programme of Slovenian puppet animation shorts was also shown at DocuTiff in 2016.

Performing arts: music and theatre

Music exchanges have been rich and varied. Highlights include a Slovenian Music Night at the Balkan Contemporary Music Festival (2018), a concert by accordionist Marko Hatlak was held at the evocative setting of Gjirokastër Castle (2018), a piano duo concert with Tomaž Petrač was set at Tirana's lakeside amphitheatre (2022). A Slovenian conductor (Marko Ozbič) led an orchestra at the Chamber Fest Durres (2022). The jazz drummer Gašper Bertoncelj performed at the Jazz in Albania festival (2022), and pianist Kaja Draksler at the Ritual Piano Improvisation Festival in Shkodër in 2024.

The rock band Red Five Point Star was on their Balkan tour in 2013. The folk-jazz trio Etnoploč performed at a Cloud Fest concert (2018). A live performance by Duo Aritmija & Dino Murtezani took place within the EU's European Week 2020 celebrations in Tirana.

Slovenian theatre has made several appearances, including a Chekhov production (The Bear) with music by Slovenian band Lolita at the Skampa International Theatre Festival in Elbasan (2013).

Literature

Slovenian literary authors have participated in several Albanian festivals. Prominent author Drago Jančar appeared at the Tirana Book Fair (2019) and the Tirana Gate International Literature Festival (2022). Award-winning Carinthian Slovene author Maja Haderlap spoke at the Festival of European Literature in Tirana (FELT) in December 2025, in a conversation about writing in a minority language and European cultural memory. Poet and publisher Gašper Malej gave a poetry presentation in Tirana in 2017 through the Traduki literary residency programme.

Visual Arts & Design

The travelling exhibition "The Future of Living — a selection of contemporary Slovenian design", produced by the Centre for Creativity and the Museum of Architecture and Design, toured Tirana, Korça, and Gjirokastër in summer 2021. The Tirana Architecture Week (2018) hosted an exhibition on Jože Plečnik's Students and Other Yugoslav Architects in Le Corbusier's Atelier. Slovenian illustrator Lila Prap exhibited work in multiple cities during the Francophone Spring (2022), Six Slovenian visual artists — including Neža Knez, Živa Petrič, and others — participated in the Mediterranea Young Artists Biennale in Tirana (2017), organised by the ŠKUC Association and Aksioma Institute.

Heritage

A particularly notable recurring thread is the historical figure of Bojan Adamič, a Slovenian composer who worked in Albania in 1947–48. His legacy was honoured twice: a seminar and exhibition at the Academy of Sciences of Albania (May 2022), and a ceremonial book presentation at the Albanian National Theatre of Opera and Ballet on the cultural holiday of 8 February 2024, co-organised with the Albanian Ministry of Culture.

The Monumenta Albanica Justinopolitana exhibition — exploring connections between Albanian heritage and Slovenian Istria — was shown at the National Historical Museum in Tirana (March 2022) and the Normal School in Elbasan (April 2022), with involvement from the Srečko Vilhar Public Library in Koper and the Ilirija cultural association of Albanians in Slovenia.

External links

Gallery

Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Tirana

Past events

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