The Zlín Region will repair the damaged parts of the facade of the Baťa skyscraper.

Zlín – The Zlín Region will repair the damaged parts of the facade, insulation, and roofing of the Zlín Bat Tower, where the regional office is located. Work will begin on Monday and will last until the end of the year. During the repairs, the entrance to the building from Tomáš Baťa Boulevard will be closed; people will only be able to access the regional and financial offices from the side of the industrial area, the region's spokesperson Soňa Ličková informed ČTK today. The work will cost 48 million crowns.

"The Bat Tower building, which we own, is an architectural gem and a symbol of the city of Zlín and the Zlín Region. We must responsibly take care of it and invest in it. The last major renovation took place twenty years ago, and four years ago the first part of its revitalization, focusing mainly on the interiors, was completed; now the second part, aimed at the building's exteriors, is up next," said Governor Radim Holiš (ANO).

Repairs will include the břízolit plaster, with new brick strips replacing the damaged ones. "Additionally, there are plans for the restoration of waterproofing and roofing. The structure of the movable bridge, known as 'the cats,' used for cleaning windows, will also be repaired," the spokesperson stated.

"Throughout the year, scaffolding will gradually rise around the entire building, which measures eighty by twenty meters and has a height of 77.5 meters. To secure the construction area for workers, the entrance to the building from Tomáš Baťa Boulevard will be closed. Visitors will be able to use the second entrance from J. A. Baťa Street, that is, from the so-called Svitov area. The regular operations of the regional office will not be affected by the construction work," said the director of the regional office, Jitka Hlavačková.

The Bat Tower was constructed between 1936 and 1938 according to the design of Vladimír Karfík by Jan Antonín Baťa as a new headquarters for the Baťa company. At a height of 77.5 meters, it was the tallest building in Central Europe at the time of its completion. From 2003 to 2004, the building underwent a comprehensive renovation.