Significant Baťa sites in the Zlín region will be presented by the new project Baťa's region

Zlín - The destination company Zlín and Luhačovice has prepared a project to support tourism called Baťa's Region. The online guide will lead interested parties through significant Baťa locations from the Baťa skyscraper to the Baťa canal, offering tips for trips, thematic tours, and seasonal news through social networks. The website www.batuvregion.cz was launched yesterday, symbolically on the birthday of the founder of the shoe empire, Tomáš Baťa (1876 to 1932). This was announced by project manager Žaneta Kögler.

"Zlín, thanks to the legacy of Tomáš Baťa, has always embodied the Czech variant of the American dream of success. The modern form of the city was created thanks to Baťa on the drawing boards of the best architects and urban planners of his time," said Zlín Mayor Jiří Korec (ANO). "Zlín is a city built on the seemingly utopian idea that there can be a place where work and life are in harmony. You can assess how this was realized with your own eyes from the viewpoint of the 21st building, the so-called Baťa skyscraper. From the terrace, you can not only peek into the entire factory complex and city center, but you will surely be captivated by the view of typical red-brick Baťa houses scattered in greenery on the hills," the mayor stated. Among the landmarks of Zlín is also the restored Tomáš Baťa Memorial and Tomáš Baťa Villa.

The new project connects locations with Baťa themes. "The most important contribution of the project is the fact that, for the very first time, representatives of all organizations dealing with the Baťa theme met," said the manager of the Zlín and Luhačovice destination, Jana Tkadlecová. Tourists and those interested in Baťa themes will have information in one place.

The project involves the city of Zlín, Zlín Region, and the Eastern Moravia Tourism Office. The Tomáš Baťa Foundation, Tomáš Baťa Memorial, 14|15 Baťa Institute, Southeast Moravian Museum in Zlín, and the Regional Gallery of Fine Arts in Zlín are collaborating. Project partners include operators of tourist destinations, as well as the University of Tomáš Baťa in Zlín with the Baťa Information Center and the Zlín Architectural Manual, which maps architectural and artistic objects, groups of buildings, and public spaces created between 1894 and 2018 in Zlín Region. This also includes companies inspired by the Baťa legacy, as well as operators of cafes, bistros, and manufacturing enterprises located in Baťa buildings.

The project will also introduce a paper guide to Baťa locations after the new website. The brochure will be available in information centers and at hotel receptions. It will focus not only on Zlín but also on the Baťa canal and the towns of Otrokovice, Napajedla, and Luhačovice.

"In the first phase, we focused our efforts on mapping our local destinations and attractions that tourists can cover when visiting the Zlín Region. Because we know that Baťa's region has no borders, in further steps, we want to recommend tourists to visit the so-called small Zlíns, Baťa enclaves, which emerged around the world following the Zlín model," Kögler stated.