14.07.2026
Just a few days after the fire that destroyed the Thomas Bata Foundation’s central warehouse, which housed nearly 30,000 books, the Foundation is preparing to reprint the first titles. In just a few days, people donated nearly half a million crowns to the Foundation’s transparent account and pre-ordered nearly 2,000 charity T-shirts, the proceeds from which will help restore the book collection.
“The fire took our books, but it also showed that Bata’s legacy truly lives on. We received an enormous outpouring of solidarity. Thanks to that, we’re already preparing the first books for a reprint this week,” says Gabriela Končitíková, director of the Thomas Bata Foundation.
The first to return will be the four most sought-after publications: Entrepreneur extraordinary Tomas Bata, Reflections and Speeches—Tomas Bata, The Culinary Art of Zlín’s First Lady, and Bata’s Ten Commandments. Each new copy will bear a note indicating that it was produced after the fire as a symbol of the determination to carry on.
Bata’s Messages
People found and collected charred pages from Bata’s books kilometres away from the site of the disaster—in gardens and on the streets—and shared photos of them on social media as symbolic “messages from Bata.” Words of support were then gradually replaced by purchases of charity T-shirts and donations to a transparent account.
“Even before the building burned down, we said we would reprint the books. But we didn’t expect to be able to get started this quickly. A huge thank you goes out to everyone who helped us with their donations. Tomas Bata says that a crisis is an opportunity. And this one has shown us just how many friends Bata still has around him,” adds Končitíková.
The Thomas Bata Foundation is commemorating the 150th anniversary of the legendary Zlín entrepreneur’s birth this year. To mark the occasion, it has prepared the year-long Bata150 project, which includes conferences, a lecture tour, traveling exhibitions, and publishing projects. The anniversary celebrations are proceeding as planned.
The number of the transparent account of the Thomas Bata Foundation for restocking the books: 50392014/2700
