map

The district town Zlín is situated at an altitude of 250 m on the river Dřevnice in eastern South Moravia. The history of the town goes back to the Middle Ages. The first written mention of Zlín is found in a document of 1332. Privileges were granted to Zlín in 1397 and in 1509. An important event for the economic history of the town was the foundation in 1894 of the famous Baťa shoe factory by Tomaš Baťa (who also was elected mayor in 1923). The company made Zlín one of the largest shoe-producing places of the world. The enormous building activities by Baťa and his prestigious team of architects changed the small town into an agglomeration of unique functionalistic architecture. During World War II, the town suffered heavy damages. During the Communist era, in 1949, Zlín was renamed Gottwaldov for Klement Gottwald 1896–1953, Czechoslovakia's first Communist president (1948–1953). In 1990, the original name, Zlín, was restored, and the town obtained the official status of a city. In 1969, the Faculty of Technology as part of the University of Brno was opened in Zlín. It goes back to the Institute of Studies that was set up by the Baťa company for its employees in the 1930s. In 1995, the Faculty of Management and Economics was added. Since 1 January 2001, the faculties form the Tomaš Baťa University of Zlín.

The famous english playwright Tom STOPPARD (birth name: STRAUSSLER) was born in Zlín in 1939.