Although feet are the same around the world, what people choose to wear on their feet is incredibly diverse. It is in this diversity that some of the most interesting aspects of culture are revealed. The Bata Shoe Museum strives to share these compelling cultural stories by using footwear as the point of entry into the cultures of the world. Particular strengths of the Museum’s collection include important holdings in Circumpolar, 18th Century European, Indigenous North American and Asian footwear. My personal favorites being Napoleon’s socks, Ginger Spices’ platforms and the spiritual shoes from Peru made of feathers and hay.
When Founding Chairman Sonja Bata first began collecting footwear in the 1940s, she never expected that her unending quest for exceptional artifacts would result in an unparalleled collection and an internationally acclaimed museum. Today the museum boasts a world class collection of more than 13,000 artifacts spanning 4,500 years of history and actively pursues its mandate to research, exhibit and publish information about the cultural, historical, and sociological value of footwear.
If you have a shoe fetish or simply like to hang out in museums and press your face against glass containing 400 year old excessively expensive artifacts than swing on over to Bata…just make sure to wear your favorite shoes!
