Paper short abstract:

The paper will analyse three methods of presentation of the modernist housing architecture in the City of Zlín, CZ. It will bring the comparison of a "redbrick" museum, a small exposition in one of the blue-collar houses and an exceptionally "in-vivo" presentation of still inhabited houses.

Paper long abstract:

In last few years I was a part of a research group of an applied project focused on the City of Zlín, Czech Republic. Zlín is a modernist company city with large residential areas with almost 2.000 of houses for the families of married employs of the company. The standardised minimal houses were built mainly during the 20's and 30's of the 20th century as a part of a paternalistic policy of the Baťa shoe company. One of our aims was to study the changing modes of using the houses during the 20th century in wider context of variable social, political and economic systems.

One of the key moments in the history of Zlín was the coup d'état in 1948. The activity of Baťa company was kept from this moment on just in unofficial memory. The description of Zlín as an example of modernist and capitalist success came back to discourse after 1989. The residential areas became a part of this revived myth and later gained the status of historic heritage, so they are under historic protection.

The proposed paper will analyse ways, in which this architectural heritage is presented in Zlín today. This analyse should answer following questions: How is possible to present a house as an object (and a witness) of a continuously changing society and consequently as a part of an everyday life of its contemporary as well as former inhabitants? What are the meanings connected to the houses in different types of expositions or presentations?