Zlín has modified the conditions for the renovation of Baťa houses

Zlín - The city of Zlín has modified the conditions for the reconstruction and modifications of typical Baťa houses. When cladding houses, it is now possible to use bricks of different sizes; for example, higher fences are also allowed. This was announced today in a press release by city representative Lukáš Fabián.

The houses with gardens and typical brick facades were home to workers employed in the Baťa factories. Baťa wanted his employees to avoid the exhaustion of commuting to work and provided them accommodation as close to the factory as possible. In the Zlín districts of Letná, Podvesná, Zálešná, Nad Ovčírnou, Lazy, and Díly, more than two thousand buildings gradually emerged, which still give Zlín its characteristic appearance. The houses are part of the urban conservation area.

Information on the conditions for modifying the houses is available in the updated document on the main principles of heritage care, created in cooperation with the staff of the National Heritage Institute and city architects. "The main purpose of updating the principles for the restoration of Baťa type houses and their surroundings was to write down the rules that, for the most part, have already been established through the long-standing decision-making practice of the Department of Culture and Heritage Care. This department gives opinions in all proceedings concerning construction activities in the conservation area," said the mayor's deputy Miroslav Adámek (STAN). The document was last updated in 2006.

Owners of the houses can now use bricks measuring 250 by 65 millimeters for cladding the houses. "Previously, only bricks of the size of traditional Czech bricks, which is 290 by 65 millimeters, were permitted. However, a brick that is four centimeters shorter is primarily available on the market, and using it does not harm the appearance of the houses, so we started to accept it," stated the head of the Department of Culture and Heritage Care, Eva Husáková.

The entrance doors, originally white, can now also be in a natural wood color. The previously required outdoor concrete staircase to the main entrance can now also be steel. The maximum height of fencing has increased from one meter to 120 centimeters. "The rules for extensions to the houses remain the same. However, this is a complicated issue, and it is advisable that especially for more extensive construction projects, owners consult directly with the relevant staff of our department," Husáková noted.

The Zlín urban conservation area was declared in 1990 and covers an area of approximately 430 hectares. Many residents of Baťa houses consider the rules strict and circumvent them. Some politicians have also previously stated that people cannot live "in an open-air museum," and the rules for modifications to houses and their surroundings should be revised.