13.07.2026
We’re moving forward (Jdeme dál). With this motto, the Thomas Bata Foundation has opened a transparent account for the restoration of the Bata literature series. During Thursday’s fire in a high-rise building on the grounds of the former Bata factory complex in Zlín, nearly 30,000 books with a retail value of at least five million crowns were lost. Those interested can also support the Foundation by purchasing a special limited-edition T-shirt.
The Thomas Bata Foundation had thousands of volumes stored on the fifth floor of the building. On the morning of 9 July, it was preparing to move them to a new warehouse. But before the employees could begin moving the books, a fire broke out in the building.
“We hoped we wouldn’t lose the books and that we’d manage to move them, since the fire was on a different floor and on the other side of the building. But within a few hours, it was clear we wouldn’t make it,” says Gabriela Končitíková, director of the Thomas Bata Foundation, who was among the first to call the fire department. Of the tens of thousands of books, only ashes remained.
In Building No. 34, which the Bata company had vacated only recently, the Foundation had stored its entire collection of Bata literature, whose retail value represents roughly one-fifth of the organization’s annual budget.
“That’s why we decided to open a transparent account where people can contribute toward reprinting destroyed publications and reviving the Thomas Bata Foundation’s publishing activities,” explains Gabriela Končitíková.
The Bata150 Project Continues
This year is a special one for the Thomas Bata Foundation. To mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of the legendary Zlín entrepreneur, the Foundation is organizing the year-long Bata150 project, which includes conferences, a lecture tour, traveling exhibitions, and publishing projects. According to Končitíková, however, this unfortunate incident will not jeopardize the celebrations.
“Our Bata150 project is not in jeopardy; we will continue as planned. In mid-September, we’ll hold this year’s second major conference in Zlín, and by then we believe we’ll be able to resume at least part of our book production,” adds the director of the Thomas Bata Foundation, who is also the author of most of the Bata-related publications.
Several dozen copies of the books are still available through the Foundation’s e-shop, where Bata-themed gifts and materials are also for sale. In addition, it will now be possible to support the Foundation’s work by purchasing a special edition of T-shirts.
Limited-Edition T-Shirts
“After the fire, a banner featuring Tomas Bata remained symbolically hanging on Building 34. It was this photograph that inspired the design for the new limited-edition ‘Jdeme dál’ T-shirt. The T-shirt commemorates the moment when the fire engulfed the warehouses and destroyed a large number of our books. At the same time, it symbolizes that even after a severe setback, it makes sense to keep going. Proceeds from sales will help offset the losses caused by the fire and support the Foundation’s future activities. Pre-orders are available on the Thomas Bata Foundation website,” explained Jakub Malovaný, project manager at the Thomas Bata Foundation.
A fire broke out in Building No. 34 on the grounds of the former Baťa factory complex on Thursday, 9 July, shortly after 8 a.m. The fire spread rapidly, and a large part of the building collapsed. “It is very symbolic for us that the largest portrait of Tomas Bata in the Czech Republic, which still hangs on the building’s facade, survived the fire. That is one reason why we say that we, too, are moving forward,” notes Gabriela Končitíková, director of the Thomas Bata Foundation.
Transparent account number: 50392014/2700
