A semi-detached house, extensive gardens and a castle on the edge. Zlín was like that before the arrival of Tomáš Bata, who built a canvas shoe factory in a small town in eastern Moravia. In order for the company to grow, he became mayor, changed the city plan and, as a factory owner, bought empty land near the plant. The town became a thriving city with a trading center and factories. This week marks the 130th anniversary of the founding of the famous shoe company.
Although Tomáš Baťa worked in Zlín for more than three decades, he left behind several buildings and influenced the future direction of the city. His vision was followed by his brother Jan Antonín, who together with the architect Vladimír Karfík built the first skyscraper in the city with a mobile office and management floor. The city began to be known as “little America”.
The Second World War stopped construction and bombed Zlín in 1944. The oldest factory was reduced to ashes, and bombs also hit part of the workers’ colony Letná. Despite the air raids and the later activities of the communists, who rejected everything that resembled Baťovce, the town is still rich in industrial architecture and houses made of exposed bricks. Take a look.
