Dolní Němčí

Dolní Němčí is a municipality in the Zlín Region at the foot of the White Carpathians Protected Landscape Area. It has about 3,000 inhabitants.^[1] It lies in the Uherské Hradiště district.^[4] The village is best known for Bata shoe production and garlic growing.^[1]*

History

The oldest archaeological finds in the area date from the Early Bronze Age. In 1261 Němčí is mentioned in the founding charter of the Cistercian monastery in Vizovice as a small settlement with 23 settled inhabitants and 23 holdings of land. In 1437 a distinction between Dolní (Lower) and Horní (Upper) Němčí appears for the first time.^[2] At the beginning of the 17th century the village had 125 inhabitants, more than 500 in the mid-18th century and over 1,000 at the end of the 19th century. Before the First World War local people, mostly bricklayers and plasterers, went to work in Vienna. The name Dolní Němčí was first used in 1925.^[2]

The village today

The village's landmark is a Neo-Gothic church. Local traditions are presented in the Na Mlýně Museum. Cycle paths link the village with the White Carpathians, Luhačovice and the Baťa Canal.^[1] In 2018 Dolní Němčí won the national Village of the Year competition, which drew a record 228 entries. It also received the Public Prize.^[3][1]

The shoe factory

Shoes have been made in Dolní Němčí since 1970, and Bata acquired the plant in 1992. In 2025 it produced about 150,000 pairs there, and it was the company's only factory in Central Europe. In September 2026 the company announced that it would gradually end production in 2027, affecting 92 employees. According to the company, the operation cannot be kept profitable under current market conditions.^[4][5]

Sources

1. Obec Dolní Němčí
2. Obec Dolní Němčí
3. Deník: Zlínský kraj — 2018-09-16
4. ČTK / České noviny — 2026-09-29
5. E15 — 2026-09-29