Social House
The functionalist building in the shape of an airplane propeller is one of the world's unique architectural landmarks. It was designed by Vladimír Karfík to fit perfectly into the newly emerging Bata district in Otrokovice.
The elegant yet simple entrance hall with a marble staircase. The three pointed star design separating the accommodation part and cultural premises. Glass walls illuminating the stairway and central corridor. The urban connection between the building and the park offering the space to breathe. The Social House, also known as the Baťov Hotel, in its glory days. The layout hasn't changed, only the content.
Social houses were part of the life enrichment not only in Zlín, but also in the surrounding area. They were created in the new Bata agglomerations as a worthy addition to the well-thought-out concept of a factory and a city in the gardens. They offered accommodation for guests, community rooms, dance and cinema halls or quiet reading rooms. The Bata Company used them to educate modern men.
Such a house was built in 1936 in Otrokovice according to the design of Vladimír Karfík, the author of the Bata Skyscraper. With its position, the Social House closed the service district built near the factory and the colony of small brick houses.The ground plan of the three pointed star not only fits perfectly into the urban design of the whole area, but also symbolically resembles the propeller of the plane in which Tomas Bata, the Company founder, tragically died.
The Social House was built in 11 months. Its construction was very demanding, because there used to be wetlands (a lake with alluvial soil) in the centre of Baťov. The foundations of the building had to be based on 98 concrete piles and 12 six-metre wells.
This unique functionalist building featured luxurious furnishings and an excellent restaurant. It used to be the centre of cultural events in Otrokovice and lasted a long time. Prominent people and celebrities used to come here, including Annie Girardot who liked to smoke her cigarette on the balcony. Another personality worth mentioning was Edvard Beneš, the President of Czechoslovakia, who came to check this outstanding architectural landmark in the centre of the “green town”.
The concept includes a public urban space of a rectangular park square, which creates a social centre of the city in close proximity to the factory site. You can find the statues of Jan Antonín and Tomas Bata here.
Today, the Baťov Hotel is located inside the listed building. However, the great architecture is currently dilapidated, obscured by modifications made in the 80s and 90s. Still, you can admire the urbanism of cities planned down to the smallest detail.
