The canal was built by the famous Moravian entrepreneur, shoe manufacturer Jan Antonin Bata in 1934-38 to transport coal to his plants in Otrokovice near Zlín. It was to be part of the Danube-Oder-Elbe waterway, sections of which had been built since 1938 near Kędzierzyn in present-day Poland and near Vienna. Further construction along its entire length was interrupted by the war, and work was not resumed after the war. In the early 1960s, navigation was also suspended on the Bata Canal.

The Bata Canal is a major tourist attraction.

After renovation in the 1990s, the Bata Canal has become a major tourist attraction in southern Moravia. The length of the waterway in one direction is currently over fifty kilometres. Recently, preparations have begun to extend the route to Hodonín and Kroměříž. At that time, its length will increase to 76 km. In the future, it is planned to extend the route along the Morava River through Slovakia to the Danube in Bratislava.

The Bata Canal begins on the border of Slovakia and Moravia, the wine country. Before setting off, it is worth visiting the local wine cellars and tasting the local delicate wine. There are a total of 13 locks in one direction and many technical monuments on the route, such as the "Výklopník" (Tipper), where entire wagons of coal were unloaded onto ships. There are many attractions, museums, palaces, an open-air museum within a short distance of the waterway. The area is crisscrossed with cycle paths. Almost every town has a free public marina, where you can anchor for a day and take trips around the area. Passing through the locks is also free of charge. Only the services of private marinas are paid. The furthest place you can sail to is the Bělov weir, in the town of Bata - Otrokovice. In total, the route is over 100 kilometres and 26 locks in both directions.