Memorial of Tomáš Baťa
The Tomáš Baťa Memorial closes the ascending park prospect between the dormitories. According to the original plan, the entire complex was to contain a group of buildings of a study-educational character, culminating along the park axis with a museum building. However, plans changed due to the unexpected death of the founder of the shoe empire, who perished in 1932 shortly after takeoff from nearby Otrokovice during a planned business flight to Möhlin, Switzerland.
Instead of a museum, a memorial was built, and of the eight educational institutions, only two were constructed (1936–38), which architecturally connected to the memorial building. Here, the type skeleton of a production building with a variable floor layout was also employed. Architect Gahura utilized the moldability of the reinforced concrete skeleton for an interesting solution of the interiors and exteriors with impressive smooth continuous glazed surfaces.
The Tomáš Baťa Memorial is the most impressive architectural work of F. L. Gahura, a modern paraphrase of high Gothic buildings: just a support system and colored stained glass, just reinforced concrete skeleton and glass. In its first ten years, it was visited by 1.5 million people.
It ceased its mission in November 1944 when the glass facade was severely damaged during the wartime bombing of Zlín. Cultural activities (now under the renamed House of Art) were successfully resumed in June 1948 with the start of the exhibition of visual arts XI. Zlín Salon.
In 1954-55, the building was reconstructed by academic architect Eduard Staša, serving for more than 55 years as both the Philharmonic of the working class and the Regional Gallery of Fine Arts Gottwaldov. The House of Art (originally the Tomáš Baťa Memorial) was registered in the Central Register of Immovable Cultural Monuments of the Czech Republic in 1985.
In considerations for the restoration of the Tomáš Baťa Memorial, European and global contexts were taken into account. The conclusions of the expert conference in October 2006 were unequivocal – to return the Memorial to its original form and ideological function, with the premise that its use should be adapted to the building, not the other way around.
These conclusions were approved by the Zlín City Council in 2011, and from 2012 to 2014, architectural studies for the restoration were created based on them.
The Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic in Zlín gained new spaces in the Congress Center, while the Regional Gallery of Fine Arts operated within the 14|15 Baťa Institute building. In 2013, the building was returned to its name, the Tomáš Baťa Memorial.
The challenging realization of the restoration took place from 2016 to 2018, financed by the Ministry of Culture, proceeds from a public collection, and the city of Zlín. The Baťa family, the city of Möhlin, and other significant donors approached by the Tomáš Baťa Foundation also contributed financially to the realization of the main exhibit, the monumental replica of the JU F13 aircraft.
The architectural icon and pinnacle of Gahura’s urban creation reopened its doors to the public.
Instead of a museum, a memorial was built, and of the eight educational institutions, only two were constructed (1936–38), which architecturally connected to the memorial building. Here, the type skeleton of a production building with a variable floor layout was also employed. Architect Gahura utilized the moldability of the reinforced concrete skeleton for an interesting solution of the interiors and exteriors with impressive smooth continuous glazed surfaces.
The Tomáš Baťa Memorial is the most impressive architectural work of F. L. Gahura, a modern paraphrase of high Gothic buildings: just a support system and colored stained glass, just reinforced concrete skeleton and glass. In its first ten years, it was visited by 1.5 million people.
It ceased its mission in November 1944 when the glass facade was severely damaged during the wartime bombing of Zlín. Cultural activities (now under the renamed House of Art) were successfully resumed in June 1948 with the start of the exhibition of visual arts XI. Zlín Salon.
In 1954-55, the building was reconstructed by academic architect Eduard Staša, serving for more than 55 years as both the Philharmonic of the working class and the Regional Gallery of Fine Arts Gottwaldov. The House of Art (originally the Tomáš Baťa Memorial) was registered in the Central Register of Immovable Cultural Monuments of the Czech Republic in 1985.
In considerations for the restoration of the Tomáš Baťa Memorial, European and global contexts were taken into account. The conclusions of the expert conference in October 2006 were unequivocal – to return the Memorial to its original form and ideological function, with the premise that its use should be adapted to the building, not the other way around.
These conclusions were approved by the Zlín City Council in 2011, and from 2012 to 2014, architectural studies for the restoration were created based on them.
The Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic in Zlín gained new spaces in the Congress Center, while the Regional Gallery of Fine Arts operated within the 14|15 Baťa Institute building. In 2013, the building was returned to its name, the Tomáš Baťa Memorial.
The challenging realization of the restoration took place from 2016 to 2018, financed by the Ministry of Culture, proceeds from a public collection, and the city of Zlín. The Baťa family, the city of Möhlin, and other significant donors approached by the Tomáš Baťa Foundation also contributed financially to the realization of the main exhibit, the monumental replica of the JU F13 aircraft.
The architectural icon and pinnacle of Gahura’s urban creation reopened its doors to the public.
official website of the statutory city of Zlín
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