On Tuesday 21 January and Wednesday 22 January, a special discussion with a prominent face of the domestic music scene took place. Lou Fanánek Hagen - lyricist, singer and frontman of the now legendary band Tři sestry (Three Sisters) - visited the Bata Villa. A little look back was in order, because the "Sisters" will celebrate 40 years on the scene in 2025, but there were of course many more topics to discuss. After all, it's no secret that Fanánek’s artistic range is wide and varied.
On Thursday, 27 February, Gabriela Končitíková, writer, lecturer and director of the Thomas Bata Foundation, will present her fresh book Inspired the Bata Way II, but she will also reveal why „baťoviny“ (or how to use Bata philosophy in everyday life) are so timeless and applicable to everyday life even today, not to mention the fact that they are more and more sought after by the general public. A literary insert in the form of read excerpts from the book Inspiration Bata was provided by actor Rostislav Marek.
On Thursday, March 20, we walked across Venezuela with the traveller Jan Rendl, who returned to the Bata Villa after some time with another adventurous lecture. The basic question of the lecture was what is Venezuela really like? Jan Rendl set out to find out on his own at the turn of 2023 and 2024 and did it in his own way - he crossed the country on foot to get the most realistic view.
On Wednesday, 23 April, a discussion with the renowned writer Josef Holcman took place at the Bata Villa. In his new book, Kacířské vinobraní (Heretical Grape Harvest), Holcman describes the environment of his native Vlkoš region, including its wine cellars, vineyards, and vineyards. Visitors were treated not only to Josef Holcman’s captivating storytelling, but also to a reading by the author.
On Wednesday, 21May 21, a tribute to the masters took place at Bata‘s villa on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Vsetín‘s first hockey title. At that time, several players from Zlín were playing for Vsetín and contributed to the Wallachian miracle. Players Rostislav Vlach, Zbyněk Mařák, Ivo Pešat, and Libor Forch reminisced about this pivotal event in the history of Czech hockey, and coach Horst
Valášek was also in attendance. The discussion was organized by the Thomas Bata Foundation in cooperation with the VHK ROBE Vsetín club and the Fenomén Vsetín project.
The last Evening Tea before the summer break took place on Wednesday, 18 June, and surgeon Tomáš Šebek visited the Bata villa. In his book Objektivní nález (Objective Finding), he embarks on his most challenging journey yet. It is a journey to his childhood spent in a dysfunctional family. A journey of personal and professional failures. But also a journey of determination to defy fate and a desire to take life into his own hands.
