Zlín is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 74,000 inhabitants. It is the seat of the Zlín Region and it lies on the Dřevnice River. It is known as an industrial centre. The development of the modern city is closely connected to the Bata Shoes company and its social scheme, developed after World War I. A large part of Zlín is urbanistically and architecturally valuable and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.