Zlínský kraj will build a cultural center in the former Baťa factory

Building No. 23 today serves as the Business Innovation Center

Zlín - The Zlín Region Council has approved the establishment of the Regional Study, Information, and Cultural Center in Zlín. The project plans to position regional cultural institutions in the eastern part of the former Bata factory area, specifically in buildings number 14 and 15. These will house the Regional Gallery of Fine Arts, the František Bartoš Regional Library, and the Museum of Southeast Moravia. This was stated today by Jindřich Ondruš, the regional councilor for culture.
    "The problem is the inability to fully develop their (the three cultural institutions') potential and meet all the services required for citizens. They are struggling with spatial limitations, and the working conditions for employees are also very poor," Ondruš told ČTK.
    Currently, the regional gallery has no possibility to further develop. It does not meet the required standards in terms of space, personnel, or technical conditions. For all its operations, it uses just 1231 square meters, which is, according to Ondruš, by far the smallest of all comparable Czech galleries.
    The regional library also operates in a insufficient building. The rooms are overcrowded, do not allow for further development and the introduction of new services demanded by readers, as well as for the operational storage of the library's collection. The Museum of Southeast Moravia is facing practically the same problems.
    The regional government hopes that the creation of the Regional Study, Information, and Cultural Center will resolve this critical situation.
    Building number 14 is to house the Regional Gallery of Fine Arts together with the Museum of Southeast Moravia in Zlín, while building number 15 is designated for the František Bartoš Regional Library with an integrated tourist information center.
    The investment will require tens of millions of crowns. The Zlín Region aims to obtain a grant from European funds for it. The project is being prepared in relation to the gradual unblocking of real estate in the former shoe manufacturing area and their gradual revitalization.