Using selected examples of significant buildings, Professor Jakubíček illustrated Zlín’s transformation, its unique urban planning, the strong legacy of the Baťa company, and the architectural distinctiveness of this exceptional city. He highlighted the work of key architects who shaped Zlín, especially František Lýdie Gahura, and discussed the influence of Jože Plečnik, the most prominent Slovene architect, whose ideas left a mark on several Czechoslovak creators.

Zlín stands as a rare example of a city developed based on the principles of standardization, typification, construction efficiency, and simplification of building elements. It became the only consistently functionalist city in Europe and one of the main centers of interwar modernist architecture in Czechoslovakia.

Professor Jakubíček works as the design collection curator at the Regional Gallery of Fine Arts in Zlín. His research focuses on the history of Zlín’s School of Art, industrial design, and its key figures. He teaches at Tomas Bata University in Zlín (Faculty of Multimedia Communications and Faculty of Management and Economics) and is also a guest lecturer in Design History at the Faculty of Fine Arts at Brno University of Technology.

The event was organized in cooperation with the Plečnik House, a museum located in the former residence of Jože Plečnik in Ljubljana’s Trnovo district. After returning from Prague, Plečnik made the house his home. In 2009, it was declared a monument of national importance.

We sincerely thank Professor Jakubíček for his inspiring lecture, Plečnik House for their warm cooperation and all participants for their interest and engaging discussion.