The T. Baťa Memorial will have regular opening hours starting from February 2

Zlín - The renovated Thomas Bata Memorial in Zlín will have regular opening hours starting from February 2. The spokesperson for the Zlín city hall, Zdeněk Dvořák, announced this today. The building, constructed in 1933 and considered one of the peaks of Zlín's functionalist architecture, was first opened to the public after its renovation on October 28 last year, and subsequently was only open for pre-arranged tours.

The memorial was designed by František Lydie Gahura in honor of the founder of the shoe empire, Tomáš Baťa, who died in an airplane crash in 1932. Later, the building was used by the philharmonic and the regional gallery; now it has returned to its original form and purpose. The reconstruction cost 50 million crowns.

The memorial will be open for visits on Saturdays from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM, Wednesdays from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM, and from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM. Tours will take place every hour. "This schedule will be in effect until the end of April. However, if public interest exceeds our expectations, we will consider extending the number of days when the memorial can be visited," said the mayor's deputy, Miroslav Adámek (STAN), in a press release. At the end of April, the facility will be closed for two weeks for the installation of cast flooring at the rear entrance of the memorial.

A replica of the Junkers F13 airplane in which Tomáš Baťa died will also be installed in the memorial. "It is currently being manufactured. The machine will be built on a 1:1 scale, and the replica will differ from the original only in that it will not have an engine or passenger interiors. It will be in the facility by May 1, the date scheduled for the grand opening of the Thomas Bata Memorial. From this date on, the operating hours will be extended and there will also be a change in ticket prices," Dvořák stated. From February to April, the basic admission price will be 40 crowns, with a reduced admission price costing half.