Zlín, the administrative center of the Zlín region, lies along the river Dřevnice in a mild climatic area of southeastern Moravia. It is also a crossroad for the ethnographic boundaries of the Wallachian, Hana and Moravian Slovak regions. This region of 590,000 inhabitants became famous for more reasons than its advantageous location. The city is famous as the birthplace of the founder of the colossal Bata Shoe Empire, Thomas Bata, where his company flourished in the first half of the 20th century. One facet of the city's character is its one-of-a-kind functionalist architecture. In 2001 a new university the Thomas Bata University was founded in Zlín. The city is the seat for several government centers, as well as for cultural and social institutions. Zlín holds many meaningful congresses, mainly in medical professions.