Otrokovice will open the Baťa house, people will be able to visit it

Otrokovice – Otrokovice in the Zlín region will open the Baťa house at the intersection of Mánesova Street and Odboje Avenue. In the future, the city plans to convert it into a coworking space, but before that, it will offer the public a chance to glimpse its original layout and atmosphere, communicated the city hall spokesperson Lenka Vaculová to ČTK. The house will be open to the public for the first time on Monday, April 13. Otrokovice, like neighboring Zlín, is commemorating the 150th anniversary of the birth of the founder of the footwear empire, Tomáš Baťa.

"We wanted to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Tomáš Baťa's birth also through a specific place connected to Baťa's housing," said the mayor of Otrokovice, Hana Večerková (ANO).

The opening of the house to the public will be temporary and will last approximately until this October. The city took advantage of the situation when the house was left empty after the last tenant moved out. "The house is not a classic museum nor a precise historical reconstruction. However, it offers an authentic view of the layout and atmosphere of living as previous generations knew it. The ground floor will feature thematic panels dedicated to Baťa housing and a space for screenings. The upper floor will present a stylized display of the interior made up of period items that have been gradually collected," stated the spokesperson. Unlike typical Baťa semi-detached houses with transverse division, the building is horizontally divided, and visitors will be able to walk through both floors.

"Our aim was not to create a perfect historical exhibition. The goal was to convey the atmosphere of living and to offer people an understandable view of everyday life in the Baťa era. We see this as the first step that can be built upon in the future," the mayor stated.

Otrokovice is closely tied to the development of the Baťa factories. It became an industrial city neighboring Zlín thanks to the establishment of Baťa auxiliary factories in the 1930s. In what was originally mainly an agricultural village, a factory complex, a colony of Baťa houses, and a functionalist neighborhood with shops and services led by the Community House were created.