E-book
Mikuláš Jančura
The presented annotated source edition represents the first systematic attempt to process selected documents related to the history of personal automobilism in Slovakia during the interwar period. It addresses a notable research and publication gap in Slovak historiography, where the topic of automobilism has long remained marginal. Although research in this field has progressed over the last two decades, Slovak scholarship still lags behind Czech historiography. The main ambition of the edition is to present a broad selection of sources to highlight key thematic lines in the development of personal automobilism. The sources are divided into two main thematic groups: economic-legislative issues and cultural-social dimensions. Special attention is given to car accessibility, infrastructure, legal frameworks, visual advertising, and the activities of motoring associations. The typologically diverse corpus includes archival records, printed materials, visual sources, and photographs. The edition builds on a 2017 authorial monograph, expanding it with new insights and sources. It draws from collections housed in the National Archives in Prague, the Slovak National Archive, and various regional archives. The work also benefits from the application of modern methodological approaches, such as Business History and cultural history. The project was carried out under the scientific grant VVGS-2022-2431 at the Faculty of Arts, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice. Its results are closely linked to the teaching activities of the research team. The edition is the result of several stages – from heuristics, selection, and processing to peer review and publication. The publication contributes to a vivid understanding of the historical aspects of automobilism and expands knowledge of modernization processes in Slovakia. It also offers potential for use in educational practice and further academic research.
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