With more than 13,000 shoes and related items spanning some 4,500 years, the Bata Shoe Museum holds the largest collection of footwear in the world. It is devoted to footwear and calceology, the study of shoes and their history. Part of the collection is on view in a permanent exhibition and the rest is held in storage. The museum also organizes temporary and travelling exhibitions and runs outreach programs.
The collection began in the mid-1940s as the personal collection of Sonja Bata. In 1979 she endowed the Bata Shoe Museum Foundation to manage it professionally and to establish a museum to house and display it. The collection was first shown to the public in 1992, and the permanent museum opened in May 1995.
Moriyama & Teshima Architects designed the building, with Raymond Moriyama as lead architect. It covers about 3,665 square metres on Bloor Street West, near the northwest corner of the University of Toronto's St. George campus in downtown Toronto.
No audio tours yet
Visited Bata Shoe Museum? Make the first audio tour: AI helps with the stops, scripts and narration.
We’re still gathering details for Bata Shoe Museum. Share what you know and help thousands of visitors discover it.
Create an indoor map
Map the galleries so guests can navigate halls, floors, and hidden gems with confidence.
Already contributing? Log in to keep building. Once you’re signed in you can also upload exhibit photos, add tours, and expand visitor tips.
Invite friends and fellow travelers to discover Bata Shoe Museum.
Discover other museums close to Bata Shoe Museum. Plan a multi-museum visit or explore the area.
Wikipedia