Tourist information portal of the city of Zlín

Guided tours

ZLÍN ZONE – REGULAR ARCHITECTURE WALKS

Zlín's architecture is one of the reasons to visit Zlín. Get to know the exceptional buildings, the unique factory complex right in the city centre and the way of life in typical Bata houses. The Tourism Department of the city of Zlín together with the authors of the Zlín Architecture Manual database and the aArchitektura association have prepared two routes that will take you through the unique architecture of Zlín.

The tours take place from May to September 2024.

1. ROUTE

PLANNED CITY - the route will present Zlín's architecture from a broader perspective, introducing zoning – "functional zones" based on which the modern urban planning of Zlín was designed. In addition to the historic centre, you will also walk through a unique factory complex, with a stop at the iconic building No. 21 – Bata's skyscraper. You will also get acquainted with the first high-rise buildings, with the most valuable urban area in the city, Gahura's prospect, and with the style of Bata housing and typical workers' houses. A symbolic end to the Zlín architecture walk is a visit to the newly reconstructed Tomas Bata Memorial, which is considered a pearl of the world's functionalism and is one of the most important buildings in Zlín.
Meet at Náměstí Míru square in front of the City Hall at least 5 minutes before the tour. The tour takes about 2 hours.

2. ROUTE

BATA'S HOUSING - this route presents the experimental architecture of the first workers' quarter Letná, where Tomas Bata had houses built for his employees. The journey to typical Bata housing, i.e. typical brick houses, was not easy and was not without experiments that are not found anywhere else. One of them is a single-storey wooden house made by the American company Alladin, which was transported from the United States by ship, disassembled into individual parts. In addition to discovering the basic types of Bata houses – detached, semi-detached, fourplex – you will also learn what rules and regime the quarter inhabitants had to follow. Amenity buildings such as shops or kindergartens, which are still in operation to this day, will give you an idea of what life was like.
Meet at the Grand Cinema at 2511 Náměstí Práce square at least 5 minutes before the tour. The Grand Cinema is about 20 minutes' walk from the Municipal Information and Tourist Centre. The tour takes about 2 hours.

3. ROUTE

FACTORY IN THE GARDENS - the walk will take you to the former factory premises of the Baťa company, which is still one of the most authentic places bearing witness to the times of industrial production in Zlín. The manufactoring facilities gradually grew from the beginning of the 20th century with the success of the Baťa shoe company. It is dominated by buildings based on Baťa's standard construction module, 6.15 × 6.15 m in size. The tour will also cover logistics within the premises, as well as the greenery that complemented the public area with numerous trees and walkable lawns. Besides the typical factory buildings, attention is also paid to some other exceptional buildings, such as Administrative Building 21 by architect Vladimír Karfík or the central shoe warehouse by architect Vladimír Kubečka. The tour also take you to Building 44, which serves as a shoe manufacturing facility to this day. It boasts a number of original features and details which tend to disappear irretrievably after any reconstruction or renovation of factory buildings.
Meet on the platform between Buildings 14 and 15, Vavrečkova 7040 at least 5 minutes before the tour. The tour takes about 2 hours.

The tour is intended for a minimum of 10 paying persons. Please book a tour by e-mail at is@zlin.eu, indicating the number of persons and the date. If you wish to cancel, please contact us as soon as possible.

Tickets:

basic: CZK 239
reduced: CZK 139 (students, pensioners and the disabled, upon presentation of any of the following cards: ISIC, ITIC, GO25 (IYTC card), ZTP and ZTP/P, companion card, ICOM, Association of Museums and Galleries of the Czech Republic and Association of Art Historians)
children up to 15 years of age (inclusive) free of charge

Tickets can be purchased in the Municipal Information and Tourist Centre, 12 náměstí Míru Square, in the Town Hall. Payment can be made in cash in Czech crowns or by card. Please pay at least 15 minutes before we meet for the tour.

Organised by: the statutory city of Zlín, Department of Tourism in cooperation with the aArchitektura association and the Zlín Architecture Manual