Zlín is adjusting the upper part of Gahur's Boulevard

Zlín - The Zlín city hall has started to modify the upper part of Gahur's prospect, the area beneath the Tomáš Baťa Memorial, which the city is currently reconstructing. The upper part of the park prospect is to return to its original form, just like the memorial. Some trees have been removed from the area and new plantings are being prepared, spokesperson for the city hall Zdeněk Dvořák informed ČTK today. The species composition will still be decided by the preservationists to correspond as closely as possible to F. L. Gahura's design from the 1930s.

"Just as the appearance of the memorial did not correspond to the original building in recent decades, the appearance of the upper part of Gahur's prospect has also differed. In both cases, we are returning to original and then realized designs," stated the mayor's deputy Bedřich Landsfeld (STAN). Modifications to the upper part of Gahur's prospect will cost about half a million crowns. The trees will be planted this year, and the reconstructed memorial will open in the fall.

The lower part of the prospect was restored by the city in 2013. "Now it is a very popular place for relaxation among many residents and visitors to the city, also thanks to the durable lawn. The revitalization was also appreciated by experts, as it was awarded second place in the prestigious Park of the Year 2014 competition organized by the professional association for the establishment and maintenance of greenery," said the spokesman.

The grassy area is mainly used for relaxation by students of the nearby university. This has connected to a tradition, as it was in these places that people met in their free time during the Baťa era.

The green prospect in the center of Zlín became the axis of the Baťa center at the turn of the 20th and 30th centuries, rising towards the glass Tomáš Baťa Memorial and surrounded by school dormitories. Architect and Zlín native František Lydie Gahura significantly influenced the entire Zlín and its surroundings. Since the early 1920s, he fulfilled the vision of entrepreneur Tomáš Baťa for a modern garden city, which, despite its industrial focus, is rich in greenery in parks and residential zones. It was Gahura who gave the final shape to the districts with typical Baťa twin houses made of red brick.