Tomáš Baťa Memorial

Zlín – the City of Tomáš Baťa

Tomáš Baťa lived from 1876 to 1932. He had businesses in many areas – for example, he made shoes, rubber products, tyres etc. The scope of his business empire was huge. The production and management methods he invented are still being used today. He mostly operated in Zlín, where he lived. And as the Mayor of Zlín, he also promoted the urban prosperity of the city. He loved functionalism, which he perfected with his architects and which can still be seen in Zlín to this day. Unfortunately, Tomáš Baťa died in an aircraft accident in 1932.

Functionalistic Elegance

The Tomáš Baťa Memorial used to be the most elegant work of the Baťa and city architect František L. Gahura. The construction started in 1933 and the original design included a group of buildings for study and educational purposes. The object of the Tomáš Baťa Memorial was only to be a part of this complex. However, the project was implemented only partially. Today, there is only the Memorial and two study institutes.

The Memorial is built in the spirit of Zlín functionalism. The architect combined the standard reinforced concrete frame with glass panels and divided the interior using columns and a single-arm staircase, thus achieving the highest purity of the space.

In 1954, the Memorial was reconstructed to an art gallery. During a recent reconstruction, everything that did not date back to the 1930s was removed. The frame of the building was stripped down and it received a new glass coat. The unique building has been restored to its original pure version. The Memorial interior is dominated by a model of the Junkers F13 airplane in which Tomáš Baťa died.