| Zlin region was founded on January 1st, 2000 and based on the constitutional law No. 347 from December 3rd, 1997, on creating higher territorial autonomous units. The region was created by merging townships of Zlin, Kromeriz and Uherske Hradiste, which belonged to the South Moravian region and township Vsetin, which belonged to the North Moravian region.
The region is situated in the eastern part of Czech Republic, where its eastern part creates border with Slovakia. To the southwest it borders with South Moravian region, to the northwest with Olomouc region and to north with Moravian-Silesian region. The area of 3,964 km2 makes the region third smallest in the Czech Republic. The region consists of 304 municipalities (among them 29 cities) with, to the end of the year 2000, 597,890 citizens. The density reaches 151 people per 1 km2 and is a lot higher than Czech average. The highest population density is in the Township Zlin (190 citizens per 1 km2) and the lowest in the township Vsetin (130 citizens per 1 km2).
The area has a very rugged nature. Majority of the landscape is hilly, mountain and upland type. Part of the region, in Morava drainage area, is a fertile flatland - Hana in Kromeriz Township and Slovacko in Uherske Hradiste Township.
The northern part of the region is enclosed by the mountain ranges called Moravskoslezske Beskydy, Javorniky on the north with the highest peak Velky Javornik (1 071 meters above the sea level) and Bile Karpaty towards south with the highest peak Velka Javorina (970 meters above the sea level). This mountain range also creates natural border with Slovakia. Southward of Moravskoslezske Beskydy are the highland areas called Hostynsko - Vsetinska and Vizovicka.
To the southwest of the region is the Chriby mountain range with the highest peak Brdo (587 meters above the sea level). Among Chriby and the earlier mentioned highlands stretches towards the west from Olomouc Township a ravine called Hornomoravsky uval, which runs thru Kromeriz Township all the way to the Zlin Township. Along the river Morava, in Uherske Hradiste Township, stretches the ravine called Dolnomoravsky, which continues to the South Moravian region. From west to the south, across both ravines, flows the biggest river in the region, Morava. Most of the rivers in the region flow to Morava. Among the most important are the river Becva to the north and Olsava to the south.
The advantageous location of the area along the river Morava together with the favourable climatic conditions created conditions for human settlements already during the Stone Age some 25,000 years ago.
Since the Primeval ages there was a merchant trade road from the Adriatic Sea to the North Baltic Sea. Also, the first state systems appeared here - Samo Empire during 7th century and the Great Moravian Empire in the 9th century.
Most of the land is poor on minerals with the exception of potassium and magnesium, with lack of humus. These soils are brown soils of the highlands and podzoic soil, which change to, towards south, the lower land brown soils. Compared to the hilly and mountainous landscape with poor gravel and middle and heavyweight stony soils, fertile brown and black soil can be found in both ravines. Along the river Morava can also be found high quality flood-plain soil.
Because of the steep and rugged terrain in most of the region, the cultivation is difficult. Out of the land fund of the region, 49.5 % is agricultural land and 50.5 % non-agricultural land. Most of the agricultural land is in Kromeriz Township (62.0 % of the overall acreage, out of which 85.6 % is arable land). In Vsetin Township, the division of the land is completely different. Here the share of non-agricultural land is a lot higher (64.3 %), out of which 84 % is covered by forests, mainly spruce.
Zlin region has a large amount of the protected landscape areas. The large areas consist of two protected landscape areas, Beskydy and Bile Karpaty, which together make approximately 30 % of the protected landscape area (CHKO) Bile Karpaty and belong to the top ten biosphere UNESCO preserves in the Czech Republic. In the region, there are also many natural preserves and nature sanctuaries.
In June 2000, the body corporate association Euroregion Bile - Biele Karpaty was founded. The association aims to support the overall development of the cross-border co-operation among the regions situated in the protected landscape area Bile Karpaty. Euroregion also includes activities of the "Region Biele Karpaty" association based in Trencin and "Region Bile Karpaty" association based in Zlin. The Czech part of Euroregion stretches over three townships in Zlin region. These townships are Uherske Hradiste, Zlin and Vsetin, with the micro-regions as Valasskomeziricsko - Kelecsko, Roznovsko, Luhacovicke Zalesi, Vizovicko, Uherskobrodsko, Jizni Valassko and Vsetinsko. The area also includes one South Moravian township with the micro-region called Hornacko. |
