Zlin Region – ZLÍNSKÝ KRAJ.
The Zlin region lies in the east part of the Czech republic as as the only out of the 14 regions it lies exclusively on the teritory of historic Moravia. The specific natural conditions (White Karpaty – BÍLÉ KARPATY, fruitful lowlands in HANÁ) and the unique geographic areas (SLOVÁCKO, VALAŠSKO, HANÁ) make this region very attractive for tourists.
The City of ZLÍN – MĚSTO ZLÍN – is well known for its shoemaking history, it is also called the Czech shoemaking capital. TOMÁŠ BAŤA, Shoemaker – OBUVNÍK, Entrepreneur – PODNIKATEL and Visionary – VIZIONÁŘ. Born in 1876, Tomáš Baťa changed not only the face of one Moravian town but also trends in the global footwear industry as well as the principles of successful management. Look at your shoes. If they bear the Baťa logo, then you should know that you are wearing a product with a history dating back to the Austro-Hungarian Empire of 1894. At that time the young cobbler – ŠVEC – Tomáš Baťa founded a shoemaking company in Zlín together with his sister and one of his brothers. In the following years the business spread across four continents, and today you can buy Baťa footwear in dozens of cities all around the world. Employees had to adhere to the Baťa’s motto: “Don’t tell me it can’t be done – tell me you just don’t know how to do it.” You can learn more about his models and the history of footwear production in the Museum of Shoemaking – MUZEUM OBUVNICTVÍ – in Zlín.
City of KROMĚŘÍŽ – is without a doubt one of the most beautiful cities in the Czech Republic. The picturesque historical city is called the Athens of Hana – HANÁCKÉ ATÉNY – due to the town houses and arcades, the monumental archbishop’s chateau, the wonderful gardens and the archbishop’s cellars with their unique wine. It is the center of education and culture. Two of the many noteworthy places in Kroměříž are without a doubt the Archbishop’s Palace – ARCIBISKUPSKÝ ZÁMEK which boasts beautiful interiors, and the Chateau Garden – ZÁMECKÁ ZAHRADA, also called as the Garden of Eden RAJSKÁ ZAHRADA . Due to its extraordinary beauty and state of preservation the palace and gardens are on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The Velehrad Monastery – KLÁŠTER VELEHRAD, and in particular its basilica, is the spiritual heart of the Czech Republic. It relates to the roots of history, education, culture and the beginnings of Czech nationhood. It was here that a millennium of Christian history began in this part of Europe. More than 1150 years have passed since the arrival of Apostles of the Slavs – SLOVANŠTÍ VĚROZVĚSTOVÉ, Cyril (also called Constantine) – CYRIL and Methodius – METODĚJ , but their story has remained alive to this very day. Testament to this is also the fact that Cyril and Methodius are the main patrons of Moravia – PATRONI MORAVY and Pope John Paul II – PAPEŽ JAN PAVEL II. – declared them patrons of Europe in 1980. Methodius and Cyril did not preach their faith in lofty and incomprehensible Latin – NESROZUMITELNÁ LATINA, but in the gentle and beautiful Old Slavonic language – STAROSLOVĚNŠTINA, which the Slavs understood and which a few years later became the fully-fledged language of church services – BOHOSLUŽEBNÝ JAZYK. Thanks to the missionaries, the flames of Slav literature, education and culture were fanned and the local people had their own writing and books before the majority of other European nations.
The Zlín region attracts tourists also for the Chateau Buchlovice – ZÁMEK BUCHLOVICE. Buchlovice Chateau is a little piece of Italy in the heart of Southern Morava. It represents one of the purest examples of Italian Baroque villas in open rural countryside in Central Europe. It was commissioned by Count Dětřich of Petřvald for his wife, so that the transition from sunny Italy was not too painful for her.
