The region plans to make the villa of Dominik Čipera, the former director of the Baťa company, accessible

Zlín – The Zlín Region plans to renovate and make accessible the architecturally valuable villa of Dominik Čipera, the former director of the Baťa company. In the future, it could become a new place for cultural and social events in Zlín, according to representatives of the regional administration. The intention is currently being addressed by the regional leadership, Helena Mráčková from the governor's office told ČTK in a press release today. The villa is a cultural monument.

According to regional councilor Zuzana Fišerová (Pirates), the council discussed the future use of Čipera's villa and the surrounding garden with the Regional Gallery of Fine Arts in Zlín. "We are motivated by the historical legacy of Dominik Čipera and the moral interest of his family as well as the public interest. Therefore, we are considering the idea of creating an exhibition space that would be part of the visitor route to interesting Zlín villas and also serve as a place for educational and cultural events," said Fišerová.

The house of the former Baťa company director, Zlín mayor, and Czechoslovak minister was used as a children's home since 1947. "Currently, a partial section of the building still serves the Children's Center Zlín, which, however, will be relocating to more suitable premises in a year, and Čipera's villa with the adjacent park can become a new cultural and social point of life in Zlín," stated Mráčková.

According to the regional administration, a space for mediation of art and visual activities for children and adults could also be created on the premises. The advantage of the villa is its location outside the city center, next to a forest, a large adjacent garden, and a cozy interior layout. "The family character of this building and direct contact with nature offer an ideal background not only for research purposes but also for family activities with children, including a small café, creative workshops, and similar," stated Fišerová.

The director of the Regional Gallery of Fine Arts in Zlín, Václav Mílek, pointed out that Čipera's villa represents an extraordinary structure in the context of Zlín architecture. "It is an example of an interesting combination of rational classicism from the 1930s and lessons from architectural modernism. Its generous character, which resembles more of an English country estate, thus stands out from the series of utilitarian Zlín constructivism. It was designed by the important architect Vladimír Karfík, who is also the author of the administrative building number 21, the so-called skyscraper," Mílek stated.

The regional councilors, who visited Čipera's villa in May, instructed the head of the investment department to commence the project preparation for its reconstruction. The Zlín Region intends to draw subsidies from European funds for this purpose.