05.11.2026
The Thomas Bata Foundation has reprinted the books that were destroyed in July by a major fire at Building No. 34 in Zlín. At the time, 28,348 copies of Bata’s literature were lost in the flames. Thanks to extraordinary support from the public, the Foundation has managed to reprint 30 titles with a total print run of 71,000 copies. It plans to donate some of the newly printed books to the libraries of hundreds of primary, secondary and higher education institutions across the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
When a fire broke out on 9 July in one of the buildings of the former Bata factory complex in Zlín, the Thomas Bata Foundation lost virtually its entire stock of books within a matter of hours. Yet it was precisely on the day of the fire that the books were due to be moved to a new warehouse. Among the publications destroyed were Reflections and Speeches, Entrepreneur Extraordinary Tamas Bata, Bata Ten Commandments, as well as the newly published titles The Culinary Art of Zlín’s First Lady and Tomas Bata: The Desire to Create.
Thousands of people supported the reinstatement
The Foundation estimates the cost of reprinting the books and related work at 4.8 million crowns. A significant portion of the funds was raised thanks to the extraordinary wave of solidarity sparked by the fire in July. 956,000 crowns were collected in a transparent account, with a further 1.8 million crowns provided by companies and institutions. Among the most significant supporters were Trinity Bank and its founder Radomír Lapčík, the Notino Endowment Fund, and the towns of Zlín, Luhačovice and Třebíč. Thousands of people also supported the Foundation by purchasing charity T-shirts bearing the slogan ‘Jdeme dál’ (‘We’re moving forward’), of which nearly 4,000 were sold.
“The wave of support that arose following the fire was incredible for us. Contributions came from individuals, families, entrepreneurs and large companies alike. People wrote to us, offered help and bought the charity T-shirts. Each and every one of them deserves our heartfelt thanks. Thanks to them, we have not only managed to return the books to readers, but we can also think about how to make Bata’s legacy accessible to even more people. It is precisely in this that we see the greatest significance of the entire reinstatement,” says Jakub Malovaný, project manager at the Thomas Bata Foundation.
Baťa’s books are set to go to hundreds of schools
The story of the reinstatement of this book series will therefore continue. Thanks to the terms of the printing contract, the Foundation received far more copies than it had lost. It has therefore decided to use them for educational purposes. It will compile themed collections of Bata-related literature from these books, which it intends to donate to hundreds of primary schools, secondary schools and universities across the Czech Republic and Slovakia. “We are not publishing Bata books so that they may become historical documents. Tomas Bata placed great emphasis on education, independent thinking and personal responsibility. He believed that people should actively shape their own lives and the world around them, rather than merely accepting the circumstances that life brings. And it is precisely these attitudes that we consider to be of paramount importance even today. In a time full of uncertainty and conflicting information, we need people who are able to form their own judgements, make decisions and take responsibility. We would therefore be delighted if Bata’s ideas were also to reach the younger generation,” explains Gabriela Končitíková, director of the Tomas Bata Foundation.
The Thomas Bata Foundation is the largest publisher of literature on Bata-related themes. It specialises in original works and reprints of historical texts that document the life’s work and ideas of Tomas Bata, as well as the operations of the Bata company between 1894 and 1945. Many of these books represent a unique source of information on the business, educational and social principles upon which Bata built his company.
The newly printed books will once again be available at the Bata Villa in Zlín, via the Thomas Bata Foundation’s online shop, and in bookshops throughout the Czech Republic. The restoration of the series is also one of the key events of the year, in which the Foundation is commemorating the 150th anniversary of Tomas Bata’s birth through the nationwide Bata150 project.
