note Zlin near the eastern border with Slovakia
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The small town of Zlín in SE Moravia dates back to the late C14th. More recently industries appeared in the mid-C19th. The town's connection with the wider world started to improve with the opening of a post office in 1848. Castle owner Baron Claudius Bretton opened a match factory in 1850, and in 1870 Robert Florimont’s shoe factory followed. But both businesses closed and Zlín remained small. Happily the telegraph opened in 1886, a new school opened in 1897 and the new railway was built in 1899.
When Tomáš Bata (1876–1932) entered the shoe business in 1894, most of the production was done by local workers from home. So Bata built a factory beside the railway station! When facing financial worries, Tomáš decided to sew shoes from canvas not leather, growing the company to 50 workers. Then Bata installed its first steam-driven machines!
In 1906 Bata built a new factory and soon began building houses for their factory employees, not quite as elegant as Villa of Tomáš Bata (1911) which was designed by Czech architect Prof Jan Kotěra. After WW2 the Villa was returned to Tomáš Bata II, Tomas I’s son. The building later housed the headquarters of the Worldwide Bata organisation.
Post-WW1, Bata wanted to develop a city that matched his work philosophy. He was a businessman with a strong social conscience, keen to employ more people and to construct workers’ housing facilities.
Sadly he died in a plane crash in 1932 while leaving on a business trip in a fog. Then his half-brother Jan Antonín Bata (1898–1965) took ownership of the companies.
The town’s population grew from 3,000 (1894) to 43,000 (1938) and 75,000 (2018). So Antonín Bata gave Zlín a more dominant administrative Building 21, designed by Karfík. The 16 storeys were called Czechoslovakia’s 1st sky scraper with a special feature: Jan had his office built inside a fully equipped lift so that he could move up-and-down to manage his 100,000+ employees. Even abroad, when a Bata factory was built in East Tilbury London, Gahura and Karfik designed the modernist architecture.
The industrial building Bata #14, Museum of S.E Moravia
Now a modern cultural centre:
There have been some big changes post-1989 when Bata's legacy was restored to political favour. Car showrooms, shopping strips and fast food outlets were built on the city edge. Then close to the town centre, between the factory area and the newer housing, a shopping mall was added. Zlin is now an entrepreneurial town.
Since 2001 Tomáš Bata University has offered students degree programmes in the humanities, arts, economics, technology, management and natural sciences. TBU has grown to become a prominent research centre in the Czech Republic and abroad. With a student population of 13,500, TBU developed strong research & development partnership with institutions all over the world, both within the European Union and in Canada, India, U.S, Russia, Japan & China. Bata shoes are no longer made in Zlín but are made abroad.
Tomáš Bata University
opened 2001
In 1906 Bata built a new factory and soon began building houses for their factory employees, not quite as elegant as Villa of Tomáš Bata (1911) which was designed by Czech architect Prof Jan Kotěra. After WW2 the Villa was returned to Tomáš Bata II, Tomas I’s son. The building later housed the headquarters of the Worldwide Bata organisation.
Villa of Tomáš Bata, built 1911
WW1 brought big orders from the Austro-Hungarian Empire for boots, and the number of workers greatly increased.
WW1 brought big orders from the Austro-Hungarian Empire for boots, and the number of workers greatly increased.
Post-WW1, Bata wanted to develop a city that matched his work philosophy. He was a businessman with a strong social conscience, keen to employ more people and to construct workers’ housing facilities.
Sadly he died in a plane crash in 1932 while leaving on a business trip in a fog. Then his half-brother Jan Antonín Bata (1898–1965) took ownership of the companies.
The town’s population grew from 3,000 (1894) to 43,000 (1938) and 75,000 (2018). So Antonín Bata gave Zlín a more dominant administrative Building 21, designed by Karfík. The 16 storeys were called Czechoslovakia’s 1st sky scraper with a special feature: Jan had his office built inside a fully equipped lift so that he could move up-and-down to manage his 100,000+ employees. Even abroad, when a Bata factory was built in East Tilbury London, Gahura and Karfik designed the modernist architecture.
Bata's UK factory, East Tilbury.
by architects Gahura and Karfik,
opened 1933.
The industrial buildings Bata #14 and #15 were converted into a modern cultural centre: Regional Gallery of Fine Arts, Museum of S.E Moravia and František Bartoš Regional Library. The Regional Gallery of Fine Arts featured architecture and artists from pre-WW2 eg Alfons Mucha.
opened 1933.
The industrial buildings Bata #14 and #15 were converted into a modern cultural centre: Regional Gallery of Fine Arts, Museum of S.E Moravia and František Bartoš Regional Library. The Regional Gallery of Fine Arts featured architecture and artists from pre-WW2 eg Alfons Mucha.
Now a modern cultural centre:
The best feature of the city was a mixture of two urban utopian visions: a] Ebenezer Howard's Garden City Movement in UK in 1903 and b] Le Corbusier's French vision of urban modernity. There were separate factory zones, residential areas, public building zones and areas of open space!
The factory zones, residential areas and public building zones were separated
Bata wanted housing surrounded by gardens for married staff. Zlin was like so many new towns developed by humanist industrialists: its development was to make the employees happier and healthier workers. As in British company towns eg Port Sunlight! Bata was making the new housing blocks generous and surrounded by gardens. Wages were also generous, and in the 1930s the working week was shorter than in UK industries. There was welfare support and education was encouraged.
Bata wanted housing surrounded by gardens for married staff. Zlin was like so many new towns developed by humanist industrialists: its development was to make the employees happier and healthier workers. As in British company towns eg Port Sunlight! Bata was making the new housing blocks generous and surrounded by gardens. Wages were also generous, and in the 1930s the working week was shorter than in UK industries. There was welfare support and education was encouraged.
Houses for married workers
each surrounded by gardens
On visiting Zlín in 1935, Le Corbusier was asked to design the new houses. Zlín’s plan, designed in Le Corbusier’s Paris atelier, abandoned the centralised city model for the linear city format. Zlin’s model for modern architecture was a 6.15 m ferro-concrete cube, infilled with steel, red bricks, reinforced concrete and glass. The simple model was used by Bata's architects, Frantisek Gahura (1896-1958) & Vladimír Karfik (1901-96), for ALL industrial buildings, shops, schools, hospitals, hotel and hostels for unmarried workers.
Bata’s Hospital was first founded in 1927. The original architecture was designed by Gahura, to commemorate Bata’s achievements. As was the Monument of Tomáš Bata 1933. Grand Cinema was built in 1932, becoming the largest cinema in Europe (2580 seats). It also boasted the largest movie screen in Europe, designed by Czech architects Miroslav Lorenc (1896-1943) and Gahura. Zlín’s Bata Co. helped found the Modern Art Gallery, created in 1936 from works of art purchased in contemporary Czech art shows. In Building #14 of the Zlín factory, art salons were held annually until 1948. Thus the expansion of Bata Co. was related to Zlin’s cultural activities.
Bata’s Hospital was first founded in 1927. The original architecture was designed by Gahura, to commemorate Bata’s achievements. As was the Monument of Tomáš Bata 1933. Grand Cinema was built in 1932, becoming the largest cinema in Europe (2580 seats). It also boasted the largest movie screen in Europe, designed by Czech architects Miroslav Lorenc (1896-1943) and Gahura. Zlín’s Bata Co. helped found the Modern Art Gallery, created in 1936 from works of art purchased in contemporary Czech art shows. In Building #14 of the Zlín factory, art salons were held annually until 1948. Thus the expansion of Bata Co. was related to Zlin’s cultural activities.
Grand Cinema, 1932
After the communists came to power post-WW2, the plant was taken and the link with the Batas ended. In the 1980s Zlin was renamed Gottwaldov, honouring Czechoslovakian Socialist Republic Pres. Klement Gottwald, 1948-53. From the post-war era, a road was cut via the Bata's villa garden, used as a green link between the house and factories. Then, on the slopes above the villa, a new high rise housing estate was built with a dramatic curved block.
There have been some big changes post-1989 when Bata's legacy was restored to political favour. Car showrooms, shopping strips and fast food outlets were built on the city edge. Then close to the town centre, between the factory area and the newer housing, a shopping mall was added. Zlin is now an entrepreneurial town.
Since 2001 Tomáš Bata University has offered students degree programmes in the humanities, arts, economics, technology, management and natural sciences. TBU has grown to become a prominent research centre in the Czech Republic and abroad. With a student population of 13,500, TBU developed strong research & development partnership with institutions all over the world, both within the European Union and in Canada, India, U.S, Russia, Japan & China. Bata shoes are no longer made in Zlín but are made abroad.
opened 2001
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10 comments:
Hi Hels - interesting to read about the history of Zlin ... I visited Brno in 1974 or 5, travelled by road from Prague for a machinery exhibition ... and as I was 'so young' don't remember much - was somewhat anxious as I was behind the Iron Curtain. Wish I could remember!
Bata shoes I think had factories in Northampton ... but fascinating to know about the development of the town of Zlin ... thanks - Hilary
Do you know who was born and raised in Zlin. The late Ivana Trump.
Hilary
same here. I knew Prague well and Karlovy Vary less well, but not Zlin at all. My husband was born Czech, but once the borders changed, his parents' city became part of Ukraine.
The Bata factory in East Tilbury in Essex was well worth visiting. And even though the industrial estate was closed in 2005, the Bata Conservation Area had already become a Grade II Listed property in the 1990s.
Student
Until Ivana Trump died last week, I knew only that she was Czech. In fact I knew far more about Ebenezer Howard's and Le Corbusier's connections to Zlin than I knew about Ivana Trump's connection.
Bata Shoe Company of Australia was established in 1948, part of the worldwide organisation. Production commenced in Mornington in 1961, and this remains our Head Office location today. With a strong industrial focus, the company manufactures and wholesales over a million pairs of footwear each year through its industrial business streams.
Bata Industrials Australia
Who among us in Australia didn't have a pair of Bata school shoes? Who back then would have guessed the story behind their school shoes. It always pleases me to hear about successful companies operating while retaining a social conscience.
Bata Industrials
many thanks. Your history page notes that the Australian success was associated with the novel international structure allowing Bata facilities everywhere to respond to the unique needs of its local customers. Sounds like a very special way of operating.
Andrew
to our ears, the idea of capitalists caring about their workers' health and happiness seems like nonsense. But there was already the "model village" concept developed by large business owners to house and look after their workers. Compare squalid East of London slums, for example, with the decent housing, schools and medical care, and gardens in Bournville (near Birmingham). The expanded model village concept worked very well in Zlin.
Interesting read!
I must admit I've never heard of Bata or Zlin. I had neighbors of Czeck origin; they were from Prague mainly. I visited Prague and Terezinstadt looking for jewish history- that's all.
That said, shoes as a topic interest me , and I'll try to read about Bata shoes.
DUTA
me too. I only knew history from my family (Russians and after 1989 Ukrainians) or from university (British Empire, Western and Central Europe). So when I married a Czech, I had to literally locate towns in Czechoslovakia and Hungary where his uncles and cousins lived.
If it wasn't for Tom Stoppard's literature and Bata Shoes, I would never had heard of Zlin.
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