The regional capital of Zlín is situated in the Dřevnice Stream valley, in the moderate climatic zone of southeast Moravia on the border of the local regions of Moravian Wallachia, Haná and Moravian Slovakia. With a population of about 75,000, Zlín has become a natural metropolis of southeast Moravia thanks to its location and many other reasons. Tomáš Baťa, founder of the shoemaking company, brought fame to the town in the first half of the 20th century. The local Functionalist architecture is unique, as it has no parallel elsewhere in the country or even in the world. The town centre with the factory compound and residential districts built at the time of Baťa's highest economic boom is now a conservation area. Tomas Bata University was established in Zlín in 2001. The town is home to several important government offices and cultural and social institutions. Zlín is a town of important congresses, especially in the medical sphere.