The Zlín Region (Zlínský kraj) is a higher self-governing territorial unit in the east of the Czech Republic.[1] The regional authority is based in Zlín, on třída Tomáše Bati.[2] According to the Czech Statistical Office (ČSÚ), the region had 577,515 inhabitants on 31 December 2025.[6]*
Location and neighbours
The eastern edge of the region is the border with Slovakia. In the south-west it borders the South Moravian Region, in the north-west the Olomouc Region and in the north the Moravian-Silesian Region. Together with the Olomouc Region it forms the Central Moravia cohesion region.[1]
Creation and divisions
The region was created on 1 January 2000 under Constitutional Act No. 347/1997 Coll. It consists of the districts of Zlín, Kroměříž and Uherské Hradiště, which had previously belonged to the South Moravian Region, and the Vsetín district, formerly part of the North Moravian Region.[1] These were the regions defined in 1960, which legally existed alongside the new self-governing regions until the end of 2020.[3] Since 1 January 2003 the Zlín Region has had 13 administrative districts of municipalities with extended powers. On 1 January 2021 the municipalities of Valašské Příkazy and Študlov moved from the Vsetín district to the Zlín district.[1] The Act on Regions No. 129/2000 Coll. took effect on 12 November 2000, when the first regional assemblies were elected.[3] At the inaugural session on 4 November 2024 the assembly re-elected Radim Holiš (ANO) as governor (hejtman).[4]
Area and population
With an area of 3,963 km², the Zlín Region is the fourth smallest region. At the end of 2024 it had 307 municipalities, 30 of them towns, and 578,998 inhabitants. Its population density of 146 inhabitants per km² was above the national average; it was highest in the Zlín district and lowest in the Vsetín district.[1] The average age of the population in 2024 was 44.2 years.[1] Three ethnographic areas meet in the region: Haná, Moravian Slovakia (Slovácko) and Moravian Wallachia (Valašsko).[1]
Nature
Most of the territory is hilly. In the north it includes the Moravian-Silesian Beskids with the region's highest peak, Čertův mlýn (1,206 m); in the east the Javorníky with Velký Javorník (1,071 m); and further south the White Carpathians with Velká Javořina (970 m). In the south-west rise the Chřiby, whose highest point is Brdo (587 m).[1] Along the Morava stretch the Upper Morava and Lower Morava valleys with fertile soil. The Morava is the region's largest river; its tributaries include the Bečva and the Olšava.[1] The Beskydy and White Carpathians protected landscape areas cover roughly 30% of the region; the White Carpathians are also a UNESCO biosphere reserve.[1]
Economy and education
The region's industry consists mainly of manufacturing firms, especially in metalworking and wood processing.[1] The only public university in the region is Tomas Bata University in Zlín with six faculties. Acute care is provided by eight hospitals.[1] The village of Dolní Němčí, known for the production of Bata shoes, won the title Village of the Year of the Zlín Region in 2018.[5]
Monuments and tourism
The château and gardens in Kroměříž are on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The region also has buildings of Bata functionalist architecture.[1] Luhačovice is the largest spa in Moravia.[1] Other destinations include Buchlov Castle, the pilgrimage sites of Velehrad and Hostýn, the Great Moravia Memorial in Staré Město, the Wallachian Open-Air Museum in Rožnov pod Radhoštěm and the Baťa Canal.[1] Among the most visited places is the zoo with the château at Lešná, Zoo Zlín.[1] The Ride of the Kings takes place in Vlčnov, Zlín hosts the International Film Festival for Children and Youth and Uherské Hradiště the Summer Film School.[1]
Chronology
- — In the Zlín region a dog bit a young boy, who suffered serious injuries to the head and face; an air ambulance helicopter took him to the University Hospital Ostrava. → Blesk.cz Novinky.cz