Albanian culture takes centre stage in French city in 2026

Chambéry will dedicate its 2026 cultural season to Albania, highlighting the country’s arts, music and literature through a year-long programme.

The focus follows a partnership launched in 2022 between Chambéry and Korça, a city with deep historical and cultural ties to France.

The flagship event will be “Icons of Albania”, an exhibition running from May to November at the Museum of Fine Arts of Chambéry. It will feature 45 works from the 14th to the 20th century, drawn from Korçë’s National Museum of Medieval Art.

The programme will also include concerts, conferences during Europe Month, Albanian participation in Chambéry’s Continents Market, appearances by artists and folk groups at the World Cultures Festival, and joint theatre and creative projects linking young people and professionals from both countries.

Korça, often called “Little Paris” for its francophone past, has long been a bridge between Albanian and French culture. That link is set to deepen further with the planned opening of a new Franco-Albanian lycée in the city, focused on science and the future.