Slovakia

Tomas Bata had been doing business in Slovakia since 1918 through his own stores; after purchasing two tanneries, he also acquired production facilities there in 1931. Two large industrial and garden towns – Svit and Šimonovany/Baťovany – became the centres of business in Slovakia. During the 1930s, the company was adding various types of business: Tannery, production of leather and rubber shoes, artificial fibres, stockings, underwear, chemical, engineering and construction plants, wood processing, swimming baths, coal and marble mining, country estates (agriculture and forestry). The business ended following the nationalization in 1945. In the mid-90s, the Bata company returned to Slovakia and launched a network of shoe stores.

  • 1918 – after the declaration of independence of Czechoslovakia was proclaimed, Tomas Bata opened stores in several larger cities – Žilina, Trenčín, Trnava, Malacky.
  • By 1927, the retail network had expanded to include 58 stores; in 1938 their number was as high as 479.
  • 1931 – Tomas Bata bought two tanneries – Bošany Leather Factory a. s. (joint-stock company), Bošany; Leather Factory a. s. (joint-stock company), Nové Zámky.
  • In 1932, the construction of residential quarters for employees was started in Bošany; by August 1939, 32 semi-detached houses, 6 single-family houses, 4 fourplexes, 4 houses for unmarried employees and also a group of older houses had been completed; in addition, the Slavia Hotel (1936) and a department store (1937) were built and, later on, a new sports ground.
  • Production of leather shoes was added to the tannery production in Bošany in 1934, later on, production of rubber shoes was added as well.

Svit

  • In June 1934, land on the banks of the Poprad River was purchased for the construction of a factory for the production of artificial fibres; in September 1934, the pilot production was started; in February 1936, the large-scale industrial production of viscose silk under the Svit brand began; in February 1936 the joint-stock company Svit, Batizovce (in 1940 renamed to Bata, Slovakian joint-stock company, Baťovany) was founded.
  • The number of employees gradually increased: 530 (in 1936) – 600 (in 1938) – 2,500 (in 1942).
  • In 1935, the construction of a large factory complex comprised of a group of large five-storey buildings began, as well as the construction of residential quarters – a total of 267 apartments were built in the decade 1935-1945; for the inhabitants, the company also built a Department Store (1937), a school, an occupational medicine facility; a post office, a Community Centre (1945) and a sports ground were built as well.
  • In addition to the production of viscose fibres, chemical (1937) and mechanical engineering (1938) plants were also established here, as well as a stocking plant (1939), underwear production, wood processing, brickworks, a country estate with agricultural production; a temporary airport (1937) was switched to standard operation – air route Bratislava – Tatry – Prešov (1943).

Manufacturing and sales companies (1935-1943)

  • Harmanec, chemical production, 1935, 1937
  • Štrba, brown coal mining, 1936-1937
  • Tuhár, marble mining, 1938
  • Liptovský Mikuláš – 1937 tannery – 1938 rubber factory Darina, úč. spol. (joint-stock company) – 1939 stocking factory – later on, chemical production
  • Komárno, company Cikta, s. s r. o. (Ltd.) – (production of shoes and network of stores), 1938
  • Bojnice, country estate and spa, 1939
  • Necpaly, wood production, 1939
  • Obyce, brown coal mining, 1939
  • Bratislava, trading company Kotva úč. spol. (joint-stock company, 1939 (previously located in Šimonovany)
  • Šimonovany, company Zdravie, s. s r. o. (Ltd.), 1943

Šimonovany – Baťovany

  • In June 1938, plots of land of the Šimonovany country estate were purchased.
  • In August 1938, the construction of an extensive factory complex consisting of a group of large three and five-storey buildings began, as well as the construction of a residential zone (housing about 310 apartments in 1945), the inhabitants could use the services provided by the Department Store and the Community Centre (both built in 1940), other facilities comprised an elementary school, a small hospital, a sports ground for the local sports club. In 1943, the construction of a parish church was prepared.
  • In July 1939, the production of leather shoes began – 940,000 pairs (in 1939), 3,348,000 (in 1943); the number of employees increased from 755 to 1,392 during 1939, significantly growing in later years as well.
  • The company also operated a country estate with agricultural production and a construction department in Baťovany.
  • In 1940, the transformed Svit company was transferred here from Batizovce, now under the name of Baťa, slovenská úč. spol. (Slovakian joint-stock company), Baťovany.

Nationalization and resumption of business

  • In April 1945, business activities of the Bata company in Slovakia were supervised by the national administration and, thus, the subsequent nationalization was prepared.
  • In October 1945, the Bata companies were nationalized in Czechoslovakia in accordance with presidential decrees.
  • In the mid-90s, Thomas J. Bata resumed business activities in the territory of the Slovak Republic by establishing a network of shoe stores.

Sources:

  • Z. Pokluda – J. Herman – M. Balaban, Baťa na všech kontinentech, Zlín 2020, ISBN 978-80-7454-928-1
  • Moravský zemský archiv v Brně – Státní okresní archiv Zlín, Česko
  • Ladislav Paška, Aby národ žil, Baťovany 1948
  • Martin Jemelka – Ondřej Ševeček, Tovární města Baťova koncernu, Praha 2016, ISBN 978-80-200-2635-4
  • Božena Malovcová a kol., História jednej myšlienky – Svit (1934-2009), Spišská Nová Ves 2009, ISBN 978-80-968977-8-0
  • Anna Diačiková – Eva Potočná – Ján Kuruc, Chemosvit – 80 rokov úspešnej cesty, 1934-2014, Svit 2014, ISBN 978-80-971804-3-0