The city of Zlín is a one-of-a-kind civil engineering project. A factory within a garden, a city within a factory. There’s an order to everything, whether it is the small brick working-class houses plotted on the hillsides, the meticulously thought-out náměstí Práce (Labor Square) or the almost religious adherence to the numbering system of the factory complex. Tomáš Baťa used his pioneering genius both in business and in urban planning.
Our tip: Make sure to check out Zlín Architecture Manual, known as ZAM. It contains info on all the important and beautiful buildings of Zlín as well as little maps of walking routes that let you explore Zlín one architectural style or topic at a time.
Working-class housing comes in many shapes and sizes around the world. Tomáš Baťa’s task was to come up with a type of house that was purpose-oriented, modern and simple. Home is where the workers were supposed to rest and work on their personal development. Several types of row houses were proposed, and a public tender was announced to find the best solution. If you want to learn more about these types of houses, which are almost universally loved by Zlíners, visit the Baťa Housing Infopoint.
Seamlessly blending in with the working-class housing, these larger buildings served as homes for Baťa’s management elite. Each one reflects the unique personality of the factory’s leaders.
The most distinctive residential building of all belonged to the leader himself. It used to be surrounded by a vast garden, which has since given in to the construction of a new main road. Book a tour and find out how the man that shaped Zlín really lived.
Zlín Skyscraper
Building No. 21 was once the administrative center of the entire living organism that was Baťa’s factories. What’s left today is a rare paternoster lift, an office inside an elevator still in operation, a top floor terrace with a beautiful view, and a management level with well-preserved furniture.
While brownfields and former factories can be an eyesore for other city administrations, Zlín is quite proud of its factory complex. And rightfully so! Located right in the city center, this is where culture and work find common ground. It is home to government offices, cafés, Zlín’s main post office, fitness centers, and galleries. At the far end, many large local companies specialized in industrial production have set up their headquarters. The checkerboard layout of the buildings is strictly logical. If you want to take a peek inside, then head on over to the newly renovated buildings of 14|15 BAŤA INSTITUTE. If you want to take a look from up high instead, make your way to the Building No. 21, known as Zlín Skyscraper.
We have no shortage of castles and châteaux, either! Scattered across the land you’ll find ancient keeps built to safeguard the Moravian border, quaint hunting lodges, vast noble estates-
Unique Tomas Bata Memorial, Czech Pavilion at Expo 2015 in Vizovice or buildings of famous architect Eva Jiricna. Architecture in Zlin, Luhačovice or Vizovice is worthless to visit.
the unique style of Wallachian log cabins. These little houses made of wooden beams used to line the village roads and city streets in all the land. Few have survived to this day.
The regions of Zlín and Luhačovice have amassed quite a collection of these. This comes as no surprise since Tomáš Baťa built all of his Zlín in the spirit of this intriguing style of modern architect
Art Nouveau is commonly known as a unique architectural style that makes frequent use of floral motifs and ornate curls. While the roots of this style can be traced to the regions of Zlín and Luhačovi
