Villa of Tomáš Baťa, Private residence in Zlín, Czech Republic

The Villa of Tomáš Baťa in Zlín was commissioned in 1909 by entrepreneur Tomáš Baťa and redesigned during construction by architect Jan Kotěra, who enlarged the central two-storey hall, simplified the exterior and added a terrace before the main façade. Painter František Kysela contributed interior decoration and František Josef Thomayer designed the garden.

Tomáš Baťa commissioned the villa in 1909 from builder František Novák of Vizovice; during construction Jan Kotěra took over, enlarged the central two-storey hall, simplified the exterior and added a terrace. After Baťa's death in 1932 his wife Marie lived there until 1946, when the villa was nationalised; in the 1950s it became a Pioneer House and Gahurova Street cut through the garden. Baťa's son Tomáš regained it in 1992 and funded a reconstruction costing a million dollars; since May 1998 it has housed the Tomáš Baťa Foundation.

The villa's decoration was entrusted to Prague painter František Kysela, whose work complemented Jan Kotěra's interiors. The garden was laid out by garden architect František Josef Thomayer. Since 1998 the building has housed the Tomáš Baťa Foundation, so visits are tied to the foundation's activities rather than to a museum display.

The foundation offers group tours for parties of 15 to 45 people, with visits lasting around 45 minutes through the ground floor. It is best to book ahead since access is by guided tour only and visits are limited to the lower level.

The villa features a distinctive double staircase that leads to private areas, visibly separating public from personal spaces in a way that was quite progressive for the time. This design choice reveals how modern home architecture blended practical function with social meaning in the early 1900s.