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Zlín Region – Picturesque and Diverse

The Zlín Region, with its long industrial tradition, is linked with the name of Tomáš Baťa, a businessman, who in the first half of the 20th century turned Zlín into a shoemaking empire. Still today, the Zlín Region is one of the most industrialised parts of the Czech Republic, which at the same time boasts a healthy environment, a good prerequisite for the development of tourism. Nowhere else in the Czech Republic can such a diversity of landscape, folklore,  historical and technical sights be found as in the Zlín Region. No other tourist area can simultaneously offer visitors mountain scenery, Mannerist garden architecture, a watering place and the Grape Harvest Festival.

The Zlín Region is situated in the eastern part of the Czech Republic, stretching along the border with the Slovak Republic. Together with the Olomouc Region, it makes up what is termed as a cohesion region - the Central Moravia NUTS II. With a surface area of 3 964 sq. km., it is one of the Czech Republic’s three smallest regions. It consists of four districts (Kroměříž, Uherské Hradiště, Vsetín and Zlín).

Zlín Region – basic data

Source: Czech Statistical Office

Economic Potential

The Zlín Region has a strong business base, consisting mainly of small and medium-sized enterprises. In the past few years, the number of business enterprises has been growing, particularly in the construction and services sectors. However, despite its growth in the past two decades, the services sector remains relatively weak. In the coming years, its growth is nevertheless expected to intensify.

The Zlín Region has always been looked upon as an economically strong area with a high concentration of large industrial enterprises. The emergence and development of a large part of the industrial manufacturing plants are linked with the name of Tomáš Baťa. In the past, the main manufacturing sector was the footwear industry, with other allied sectors, such as the rubber industry and engineering, developing in parallel with it. The Region is also known for its aircraft industry and other branches. These activities were traditionally linked primarily with Zlín, the centre of the Region, and its hinterland. In the course of time, other strong economic centres emerged in the Region, such as Vsetín, Kroměříž, Uherské Hradiště and Uherský Brod. The current industrial potential of the Zlín Region is based on the existence of the original key manufacturing enterprises. The most important among these are involved in rubber manufacture, plastics production, electronics, electrical and mechanical engineering and furniture manufacture. In the past few years, intensive development has been witnessed by the ICT sector. The Zlín Region offers skilled and flexible labour and very reasonable wage costs. The economic activity rate is 50.6%.

In the region there are a couple of industrial parks – the most important is the Holešov Strategic Industrial Park (it is also one of the largest development areas in the Czech Republic). Its total surface area is 360 hectares. The basic technical and transport infrastructure of the Park was completed at the end of 2009, and now plots with surface areas of from 0.5 to 280 hectares are available to new investors.

The Regional City of Zlín

The statutory City of Zlín is the natural centre of the whole of South-East Moravia. With its economic potential, Zlín maintains its position among the Czech Republic’s most important cities. It is a notable industrial, business and cultural centre and the centre of the Zlín Region. As a Garden City set harmoniously in a natural environment, it is a unique example of functionalist architecture and 20th-century urban architecture, the heritage of Tomáš Baťa. The city is linked with the existence of film studios, whose importance was enhanced by the success of animated films produced there in the latter half of the 20th century. Each year, the city is the venue for the International Film Festival for Children and Youth and the Barum Czech Rally motoring competition. An important aspect of Zlín are its cultural and educational efforts. The materialisation of these efforts is the Cultural and University Centre, built between 2006 and 2011, according to the design of Eva Jiřičná. The peaceful countryside in the immediate vicinity provides a contrast to the busy city centre.

Kroměříž District

The Kroměříž District used to be an agricultural and industrial area. Currently it ranks alongside those districts with an above-average unemployment rate, and has been included among regions with special State support. This opens up greater possibilities for investors to draw support from EU structural funds. The company of TOS Hulín, a.s. and TON, a.s. in Bystřice pod Hostýnem, the renowned bentwood furniture manufacturing company, are important representatives of the local engineering industry. The Districts boasts a new motorway crossroads, one of the largest in Central Europe. An important investment project in the territory of the District is the Strategic Industrial Zone in Holešov, built on an area of 360 ha in the vicinity of the motorway, with an infrastructure prepared to receive investors. The locality is suitable for investment in light industrial production. The Kroměříž District has very good prospects for the promotion of tourism, with a variety of attractive sights scattered around, such as the Bishopric Castle, the Květná and Podzámecká Gardens in Kroměříž, which are included on the UNESCO List of World Natural and Cultural Heritage Sites. A pleasant way of spending active leisure time is in the Hostýnské Hills, where ideal conditions exist for cyclo-tourism.  

Uherské Hradiště District

There are several important industrial enterprises in the Uherské Hradiště District operating in engineering, electrical engineering and the arms industry, which provide employment to a large number of people. These include the companies Česká zbrojovka, a.s., Slovácké strojírny, a.s. in Uherský Brod and AVX Czech Republic s.r.o. which manufacture passive electronic components. The countryside around Uherské Hradiště is referred to as “the land of sunshine and wine”, renowned for its hospitality, folk traditions and attractive sights. The most significant among the latter are the Velehrad compound of church structures, which is an important pilgrimage site, and the archaeological finds excavated in the District, dating back to the Greater Moravia era (9th-10th centuries A.D.) Running beside the picturesque valley of the  Morava River is a new cyclo-path linking up with a network of South Moravian wine trails. The White Carpathian foothills, a biosphere reserve under UNESCO protection, provide excellent opportunities for Summer and Winter holidays.

Vsetín District

The Vsetín District, just like that of Kroměříž, is afflicted by high unemployment and has been included among regions receiving special support from the State. Nevertheless, there are several industrial centres in the District, specifically Vsetín, Valašské Meziříčí and Rožnov pod Radhoštěm, with well-developed engineering, chemical and electrical engineering industries. The most important firms in the District are ON Semiconductor Czech Republic, s.r.o., DEZA in Valašské Meziříčí and the engineering firm TES Vsetín, a.s. Vsetín and its environs is an attractive area for recreation with a dynamically developing selection of tourist services. The District’s greatest wealth is its attractive countryside. The Beskydy protected landscape area in the Vsetín District, in addition to the lure of mountain scenery with original virgin forests and the occurrence of rare animals and plants, provides opportunities for active sport – hiking, skiing and cycling. The Wallachian open-air Folk Museum in Rožnov pod Radhoštěm is one of the oldest museums of folk architecture in Europe. The well-developed infrastructure and high-quality tourist services add to the Region’s attractions as a tourist destination within the framework of the CR.

Zlín District

The Zlín District is one of the economically most developed parts of the Zlín Region. The position of the rubber and plastic industries is very important. Among the most significant enterprises are the Barum Continental, spol. s.r.o., and Mitas, a.s. rubber companies, and the Fatra, a.s. plastics manufacturer. Jelínek Vizovice is a world-renowned fruit brandy manufacturer. At the same time, the whole district also provides very good opportunities for recreation and relaxation. The hilly terrain, with lovely natural scenery, creates ideal conditions for hiking and cyclo-tourism. The favourable climate and the curative springs of Moravia’s largest watering place, Luhačovice, attract visitors from all of Europe. The spa was built in Folk Art Nouveau Style according to the project of architect Dušan Jurkovič. Some 20,000 visitors come to Luhačovice each year. Another spa, smaller in size, with a modern golf course, is situated at Kostelec near Zlín. The most visited place in the entire region is the Zoo, with the Castle at Lešná near Zlín. The Baťa Canal is an important tourist attraction, originally used for coal transportation. It passes through the District and ends at Hodonín. A pleasant way to see the surrounding countryside is to take a cruise along the Canal. Nearly 100,000 tourists arrive each year to enjoy this cruise. The statutory City of Zlín is the centre of the Zlín District and the entire Region.

Useful contacts:

Office of the Zlín Region, www.kr-zlinsky.cz