The eastern border of the Zlín region is home to the white peaks of the White Carpathians and the rolling hills of Wallachia. The modern city of Zlín stands out with its red brick functionalist buildings and unique shoe making history. It is a sharp contrast to the traditional timber houses found in the nearby mountains. Visit the open air museum in Rožnov pod Radhoštěm to see how the mountain folk lived in their carved wooden huts. The sheep bells ring out across the high pastures as the sun sets over the border ridges.
The Luhačovice spa offers a mix of colorful folk architecture and healing springs in a quiet valley. You can explore the grand gardens of the Kroměříž chateau or hike to the pilgrimage site of Hostýn. The landscape is a mix of neat orchards and wild mountain ridges where sheep still graze on high pastures. Every village seems to have a small distillery and a story about the mountain folk. The road to the Pustevny mountain saddle is lined with colorful wooden buildings that look like they belong in a fairytale. You can taste the local plum brandy and traditional sweet cakes in every small mountain tavern.
This region is a blend of modern industrial vision and ancient folk traditions. You can visit a massive shoe factory or walk through a museum of wooden houses. The roads wind through steep valleys and over ridges with views into Slovakia. It is a place of bright colors and strong spirits that celebrates both the future and the past. Explore the red brick Bat’a houses that were built for factory workers in the early twentieth century. The high altitude meadows of the Beskydy mountains offer a rugged escape into a land of orchids and wild mountain trails.
Zlín (region) highlights
- Rožnov Open Air Museum: The largest museum of its kind in Central Europe features three different areas of wooden mountain architecture. It is the highlight of any Wallachia road trip and shows the soul of the mountain folk.
- Pustevny Ridges: These colorful wooden buildings were designed in a unique folk style and sit high on a mountain saddle. The road up to the top offers a steep climb and incredible views of the White Carpathians scenic drive route.
- Kroměříž Gardens: This site features a grand flower garden and a chateau park filled with exotic animals and white pavilions. The Archbishop’s Palace is a masterpiece of baroque art with a world famous library.
- Luhačovice Spa: Famous for its colorful architecture that blends folk styles with modern art nouveau design. You can taste the salty mineral water from several public springs while walking through the valley park.
- Velehrad Basilica: One of the most important pilgrimage sites in the country with a massive golden interior and a long spiritual history. It sits in a sunny valley surrounded by orchards and quiet country roads.
- Lukov Castle Ruins: This massive ruin is hidden in the woods and is slowly being restored by local volunteers. It is a very atmospheric spot where you can see the forest reclaiming the high medieval stone walls.
- Baťa Canal: Follow the road along this historic waterway to see old locks and watch the colorful river boats drift past. You can rent a small boat for an hour or just enjoy the flat scenic drive along the water.
- Hostýn Hill: This holy mountain features a grand basilica and a unique way of the cross designed by a famous architect. The view from the top spans across the entire Moravian valley and into the distant mountains.
- Vizovice Chateau: An elegant baroque palace famous for its collection of paintings and its proximity to the world famous plum brandy distillery. The surrounding hills are covered in orchards that turn white with blossoms in the spring.
- Zlín Functionalism: Explore the red brick city built by the shoe king Tomáš Baťa with its unique factory buildings and worker houses. It is a masterpiece of modern urban planning that looks unlike any other city in the region.
The local Four
History of Zlín (region)
The eastern borderlands of the Zlín region is the home of the Wallachians, a hardy mountain folk who brought their unique wooden architecture and plum brandy traditions from the Carpathian ranges. For centuries these highlanders lived in harmony with the rugged terrain of the Beskydy mountains building beautiful timber chapels and sheep farms on the misty ridges. This cultural heritage is still the soul of the region where the smell of wood smoke and the sound of folk music fill the mountain air.
In the early twentieth century the region was transformed by the visionary shoemaker Tomáš Baťa who built a functionalist empire out of red brick and glass. He turned the town of Zlín into a hypermodern city of work and gardens creating a unique industrial landscape that was decades ahead of its time. The contrast between the old wooden mountain traditions and the sleek modern architecture of the shoe king is what makes this region truly unique.
A road trip through Zlín takes you from the sunny orchards of the White Carpathians into the heart of a modern industrial miracle. You can drive through the plum groves of the Vizovice hills or follow the historic Baťa canal which was built to transport coal and goods through the river valley. It is a region of innovation and tradition where the spirit of entrepreneurship and the love of the mountains go hand in hand.