The Shoe Museum presents over four thousand exhibits and maps the history of shoes from the very beginning to present times, including the history of the shoemaker’s craft. The museum is located in the entrance building of the former
Tomas Bata factory in the central part of the Zlín city centre
(map). It was his family and purchasing agents who, while travelling the world on their business trips, collected miscellaneous shoe and shoe-related exhibits which later became part of the Shoe Museum’s collection.
The oldest authentic exhibit originates from the mid 16th century, while the most precious are probably little shoes with a very unusual sole design, the symbol of the museum. They come from Italy, and were probably worn by Agnes Eleanor of Petřvald, an Italian countess who married a Czech man. There are only some 20 similar models currently in the world. Moreover, visitors can admire a replica of Ötzi’s shoes. He was the iceman from prehistoric times whose frozen body was found in the Ötztal Alps in 1991. It is interesting that specialists from the Tomas Bata University in Zlín have made sample shoes exactly the same as these, and subsequently tested them during a hike in the Alps. The result was more than surprising: Ötzi’s shoes, made of bear and deer skin and lined with hay, gave a great account of excellent thermal properties.
Another curiosity is a very attractive collection of ataman shoes, a set of African sandals and an extensive collection of shoes from India. As for further important attractions, there are sandals made of emu feather and human hair, which used to be a part of ritual ceremonies in central Australia. In terms of contemporary rarities, you can admire the “farmer” shoes made for Shaquill O´Neall, a famous basketball player, in 1998. They were sown to measure as shoes for feet which are 41cm long are not normally available in the shops.
Anyway, the most extensive and comprehensive collection in the Shoe Museum deals with shoes manufactured by the Bata company. The collection includes production from the year 1894, when the factory was founded, until nationalisation in 1945.
The Shoe Museum also offers a view into an old shoemaker’s workshop full of tools and fixtures. The latest offering is a handbag and purse display. More information can be found
here.