The Zlín councilors agreed to the restoration of the Tomáš Bat'a Memorial

Zlín - Zlín city councilors approved the restoration of the Tomáš Baťa Memorial today. The city has been promised a grant from the Ministry of Culture amounting to 32 million crowns for the project. However, a condition is that the city must prove it has secured project financing, said Mayor's Deputy Bedřich Landsfeld (STAN) during today's council meeting. The restoration will require up to 70 million crowns, and the councilors approved financing in three phases.
The city is expected to start the restoration next year and should also draw from the state grant. According to Mayor Miroslav Adámek, the building permit should be in place by the end of this year. In 2017 and 2018, the city should allocate 19 million crowns each year for the restoration, but will also apply for European grants. A fundraising campaign will also help with the restoration.
The building, dating from 1933, is one of the most valuable in the regional city and was designed by architect František L. Gahura. The memorial commemorated Tomáš Baťa, the founder of the shoe empire, who died in an air crash in 1932. In the 1950s, the memorial was renovated and was used as the House of Arts by the Zlín Philharmonic and the regional gallery of visual arts. However, both institutions moved to new premises several years ago, leaving the building closed. The town hall wishes to return it to its original purpose as a memorial. The external appearance of the building will return to its form from the 1930s, while the internal arrangement has yet to be decided.