Zlín Castle
The 15th-century building, which once enclosed the city centre, has become an important link between the old town and the new built-up area of the factory complex. It has also acquired a new function. Nevertheless, in a city like Zlín, the castle looks almost out of place.
Tomas Bata bought the castle in 1929 from Stefan Viktor Leopold Haubt von Buchenrode, a descendant of Brno textile workers. First he had the wall, surrounding the English castle park, torn down. František Lýdie Gahura prepared a study to open the park and the castle to the public, and together with Tomas Bata transformed the place into a Club House according to the British model. The castle was the seat of the district authority, after the war also the headquarters of the Red Army, the military administration and the secretariat of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia.
From the late 1950s, the castle was primarily a base for the Regional Gallery of Fine Arts. Today, it houses the Václav Chad Gallery, the cultural and creative centre Živý Zlín, the Zlin Design Market and the Zlin Design Week, and other interesting events. In 2023, a music club opened in basement premises. However, the entire Zlín Castle is still waiting for its reconstruction and new purpose.
