Tirana – More than 150 architects from all over the world – including Europe, Asia, North and South America – gathered in the Albanian capital Tirana on June 6 to take part in the newly launched “Bread & Heart” festival.

The initiative was organized by the Albanian Territorial Development Agency under the leadership of Adelajda Roka and is under the patronage of Prime Minister Edi Rama, as reported on the official government website kryeministria.al.

In his opening speech, Rama emphasized the cultural significance of the event and deliberately chose symbolic words: The festival coincides with the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha – for Rama, this is no coincidence, but “a blessing.” He emphasized that Albania does not attract international architectural firms with glitz or money, but with “a shared belief in the reality of a dream.” These words also resonated widely on the news portal CNA.al.

The festival is entitled “Bring Some Salt, Please” – a tongue-in-cheek homage to Albanian hospitality – and is intended to serve as a multidisciplinary platform in the coming years. In addition to architecture, other creative and scientific fields will also be represented in the future, as Rama explained to the portal RTSH.al. The aim is to establish Albania as a meeting place and laboratory for future-oriented design.

The prime minister went one step further, stating that “Albania produces more architecture than the whole of Europe put together.” According to kryeministria.al, this provocative statement should be understood less as a statistical claim and more as an indicator of the innovative spirit of Albanian building culture.

With the “Bread & Heart” festival, Albania is sending a clear signal: the country wants to become a relevant player in Europe not only economically but also culturally—as a place where visions become reality and creative minds speak a common language.

Image:
V.albani, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons