Zlin

Location

The Zlín region is located in the eastern part of the Czech Republic and borders Slovakia. The region covers a total area of 3,964 km2, which represents 5% of the total area of the Czech Republic, making the Zlín region the fourth smallest in the CR. The region is within reach of several international airports (Vienna: 175 km, Ostrava: 94 km, Brno 95 km, Prague 300 km, Bratislava 200 km).

Administratively the Zlín region is divided into four districts (Kroměříž, Uherské Hradiště, Vsetín and Zlín). The city of Zlín is the region's only municipality with a population exceeding 50 thousand and accounts for 13% of the region's total population.

Invesment climate

In the past and at the beginning of the period of transition, the Zlín region was traditionally and justifiably recognised as an economically strong area that was home to major industrial enterprises. The restructuring of industry, changes in the market and political changes resulted in the significant decline of production in previously prosperous branches of industry. In spite of this, the Zlín region is still distinguished by its traditionally strong industrial base. Key fields of industry in the region include mechanical engineering, steel production, chemicals, plastics, and rubber. Shoe production, wood-processing, leather production, electrical engineering and the food industry are also of great importance.

Currently, the region's transportation infrastructure is being upgraded and the attractiveness of the region is supported by an open approach to foreign investment and the presence of an expanded range of prepared industrial zones. Another great advantage is the highly strategic location of the region, which lies within 200 km of four countries: Slovakia, Poland, Hungary and Austria.

A number of educational institutions, secondary and higher professional schools operate in the region, most notably Tomáš Baťa University in Zlín, which offers specialised education in the following faculties: Technology, Management and Economics, Multimedia Communications, and Informatics. Private university education is provided by the European Polytechnic Institute in three study programmes: Banking, Finance and Insurance; Informatics; and Management and Marketing.

Tomáš Baťa University places great emphasis on combining its own activities, particularly science and research, with those of industrial enterprises. Therefore, in cooperation with the Zlín region, the university established the Technological Innovation Centre (TIC), which has the task of creating conditions for the development of innovations in the region and the use of the results of science and research in the industrial sphere, whereas emphasis is placed especially on the development of prospective advanced technologies. TIC also supports cluster initiatives in the region, which were instrumental in the establishment of a plastics cluster and the mapping of a shoe-industry cluster. TIC also administrates a business incubator.

Infrastructure is also being created in the region for the development of innovative enterprises and support for the transfer of the results of science and research into commercial use. This involves a science and technology park and technology-transfer centre, a business innovation centre in Zlín and a business incubator in Vsetín.

Leisure and tourism

The Zlín region has numerous attractions, including mountains, spas, wine valleys, and a range of religious landmarks and historically valuable structures, as well as unparalleled examples of modern functionalist architecture. The region's unique character is influenced by the fact that three ethnographic units - Valašsko, Slovácko and Haná - overlap here.

The Vsetín area is particularly popular among skiers and mountain tourists. The Vsetín district is in the most mountainous and forested area. In addition, the area offers a number of preserved peasant cabins concentrated in the charming Walachian outdoor museum in Rožnov pod Radhoštěm.

The Kroměříž area enjoys a worldwide reputation due to the unique style of its Podzámecká and Květná gardens and the magnificence of the archbishopric's chateau. The exceptional nature of these places was the reason that Kroměříž was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1998. The region has a wide range of historical landmarks, notably Holešov and the moving history of its strong Jewish community. The Šach synagogue with its museum of Jewish culture is particularly unique and priceless.

The Uherské Hradiště area is known as the "region of sun and wine". However, it is also an area whose rich history is evoked by the gothic Buchlov castle, the baroque chateau complex in Buchlovice and the Velehrad pilgrimage site, a centre of Christianity connected with the entry of the Slavonic missionaries Cyril and Methodius into Moravia.

Naturally enough, the centre of the Zlín district and region is the city of Zlín, where in the 1920s and '30s Tomáš Baťa implemented his grandiose business plan. Today the city is a much admired example of functionalism. The imaginativeness of the city's urban-planning solution is particularly unique with its signature works by the architects Gahura, Corbusier, Kotěra and Karfík.

Luhačovice, a picturesque small spa town built in the distinctive folk-secessionist style according to the plans of Dušan Jurkovič, annually attracts up to twenty thousand visitors. Due to its full spectrum of cultural activities (theatres, galleries, concerts) and range of cosy cafés and restaurants, Luhačovice is a popular weekend destination for people from the surrounding area.

The zoological garden at the chateau in Lešné u Zlína and the Svatý Hostýn pilgrimage site are also popular attractions in the region.

The region is traversed by a dense network of tourist routes. With regard to cycling trails, the region is among the most popular in the Czech Republic. There are also ideal conditions for skiing, for example in Pustevny, Portáš, Velké Karlovice and Mikulčin Vrch, as well as for mountain climbing and hiking. An original experience is provided by a trip down the Baťa canal, which dates back to the 1930s. It is possible to travel a 60 km section of the canal in a rented motorboat or in a canoe. In addition to the aforementioned Luhačovice, other, smaller spa towns are rewarding destinations: Kostelec u Zlína with its modern golf course and, in particular, the sulphur springs in Ostrožská Nová Ves, which are notable for their curative properties. The water park in Uherský Brod offers a pleasant way to spend one's leisure time. With teams competing in the highest Czech football, hockey and handball leagues, Zlín is also known as sports city.