The region will provide support for the T. Bata Memorial in Zlín at the school

Zlín - The Zlín region will provide facilities for the restored Tomáš Baťa Memorial in Zlín at the neighboring secondary school. This was stated to reporters today by Governor Jiří Čunek (KDU-ČSL). The city of Zlín is currently reconstructing the memorial, and the building will return to its original form. The building, dating back to 1933, is among the most valuable in the regional capital, designed by architect František L. Gahura. The memorial commemorated the founder of the shoe empire, Tomáš Baťa, who died in an airplane crash in 1932.

In the 1950s, the memorial was rebuilt and was used as the House of Art by the Zlín Philharmonic and the regional gallery of fine arts. However, both entities moved to new premises a few years ago, and the building remained closed. The city council then decided to restore the building and return it to its original purpose. The restoration began at the end of 2016, and the work is expected to be completed this autumn.

The facilities for the memorial will be created in the building of the Zlín Grammar School and Language School, in the basement where former specialized workshops were located. "In January 2017, we agreed in a joint meeting with the city that as a region, we would participate in the restoration of the memorial and provide the necessary space for its facilities in the neighboring school building, which is our contributory organization," said Čunek.

The facilities will serve visitors, guides, and the security of the memorial. Tickets, souvenirs, and publications will be sold here, and there will be restrooms and a relaxation area. "The facilities will have barrier-free access and will be arranged in such a way that their operation is completely separate from the operation of the grammar school. Regarding operating costs, the region has entered into an agreement with the city for the lease of these spaces, based on which all utilities and services will be billed to the city," said the region's spokesperson Renata Janečková.

The construction modifications of the facilities will cost the region 6.4 million crowns, and the city will invest just under one million crowns. Work will begin in May this year and will be completed in September before the memorial opens.

After the reconstruction, the memorial will return to its original form, and the extensions from the 1950s have already been removed. Iron, concrete, and especially glass, the materials that architect Gahura worked with, will be used in the reconstruction. The restoration of the memorial will cost 70 million crowns. The city has received a subsidy from the Ministry of Culture amounting to 32 million crowns, with the remainder coming from its own budget.