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The Gateway to Baťa's Zlín

The regional culture and education centre 14|15 BAŤA INSTITUTE is located in the centre of Zlín. The modern complex was created by converting two manufacturing buildings of the former Baťa factory complex, and its location in close proximity to the railway and bus stations makes it a figurative gateway to Baťa's Zlín, a functionalist garden city. The name of the complex alone is an indication that it houses the legacy of the brilliant entrepreneur and shoemaker Tomáš Baťa, whose skill and values spread throughout the world.

  

Past and Present

The cultural complex is situated in buildings 14 and 15, built between 1946 and 1949 as manufacturing buildings according to designs by architect Jiří Voženílek. The original pre-war buildings with the same numbers were destroyed in bombardments during the Second World War. Two former factory buildings then underwent careful reconstruction work that was able to preserve a number of original features.
Since 2013, the complex has been home to the Museum of South East Moravia in Zlin, the Regional Gallery of Fine Arts (building 14), and the František Bartoš Regional Library (building 15).

What to See and Do

The 14|15 BAŤA INSTITUTE offers something for everyone. Do you like history, art, architecture, books, music, or fun? Here you will find these all in one place. A range of interesting temporary exhibitions and events, such as festivals, travel lectures, discussions, and concerts, are held here throughout the year. And you definitely shouldn't miss the unique permanent exhibitions, which provide a comprehensive view of the Baťa phenomenon.

  

A Museum that Brings History to Life

The Museum of South East Moravia in Zlín
The permanent museum exhibition 'The Baťa Principle: Fantasy Today, Reality Tomorrow', which received the Gloria Musaealis Award for 2013, presents a subject integral to Zlín but known all over the world. The location of the exhibition in a former factory building draws visitors directly into the era of Baťa's heyday. You can take a look at an original shoe production line, hundreds of types of Baťa shoes, historical and exotic footwear from around the world, and dozens of other Baťa products, from shoelaces to aeroplanes. Collections and photos from the travels of Jiří Hanzelka and Miroslav Zikmund and exhibits from the film gallery are equally interesting. Projections of period films complement informational panels. A playful exhibition in the former factory building dedicated to prominent ethnographer, linguist, and teacher František Bartoš also cannot go unnoticed.
You can see other exhibits curated by the Museum of South East Moravia in Zlin at the Malenovice castle, the Ploština National Cultural Monument and the Museum of the Region of Luhačovické Zálesí. 

  

Art and Architecture

Regional Gallery of Fine Arts in Zlín
The boom of the Baťa company influenced not only the footwear industry, but also the very history of Zlín and its many cultural activities, fine arts, and architecture. Indeed, Zlín's architecture and urbanism became the theme of the permanent exhibition 'Prostor Zlín' ('Space Zlín') at the Regional Gallery of Fine Arts. The exhibition also offers a look at the unique collection of fine arts that began to accumulate during the time of Tomáš Baťa. You can see high-quality work produced in the first half of the 20th century by Czech artists, among them Emil Filla, Bohumil Kubišta, Václav Špála, Josef Čapka, and Toyen.

Very few towns have been built with such a progressive approach in such a short period of time. You can find out more about iconic Zlín architects and the development of functionalist architecture in the architecture collection that the gallery has been systematically developing since 1987. The gallery also focuses on industrial design in Zlín.

  

Relax with a Book and More

František Bartoš Regional Library in Zlin
The František Bartoš Regional Library, the largest library in the Zlín region with a collection of more than 450,000 titles, also dedicates itself to the Baťa phenomenon. It offers Baťa company newspapers, and you can see a number of monographs about the Zlín Region in the digital library. The regional collection contains titles relating to personalities such as the Baťa family, Jiří Hanzelka, Miroslav Zikmund, František Bartoš, Emil Zátopek, and others. The František Bartoš Regional Library also offers areas for relaxing. You can sit back and read books or magazines in a reading room or a separate study room, or read daily newspapers in the café over a cup of delicious coffee on the ground floor of building 15. Free Wi-Fi access throughout the complex is a matter of course.

  

 

Employees of the 14|15 BAŤA INSTITUTE Information Centres, which are located on the ground floor of each building, will gladly recommend other interesting places in Zlín. Here you can also by tickets for guided tours of the nearby former Baťa Administrative Building, known as the skyscraper, or building 21, which includes the unique office of Jan Antonín Baťa located in a lift. Tours with commentary by a museum guide must be scheduled several days in advance.

Generous Premises

Buildings 14 and 15 are connected by an outdoor platform, which is used for organising a range of open-air events. The 14|15 BAŤA INSTITUTE also provides multifunctional halls with modern equipment for arranging various discussions, training events, or conferences. We eagerly offer our conference spaces for any kind of event, which you can further enrich with a unique accompanying programme focusing on the history of the Baťa company. 
If you are interested in renting our conference spaces for any kind of event,  please contact the business manager Andrea Zahradkova (+420 573 032 106, andrea.zahradkova@14-15.cz).

 

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