Kultúrne aspekty cestovného ruchu na Slovensku v medzivojnovom období v českej a slovenskej historiografii
Cultural Aspects of Tourism in Slovakia during the Interwar Period in Czech and Slovak Historiography

Summary/Abstract: Tourism became an important indicator of economic and cultural-social development in the First Czechoslovak republic. Although this is a very complex and multiple-valued phenomenon, which includes a number of activities, tourism is a sensitive indicator of large-scale structural transformation processes in an all-society context. From a cultural point of view, its development re?ected a number of interrelated aspects in the period under review. For example, a modern way of spending free time (motivation to travel, leisure travel, choice of destination, etc.), modernization of traditional and development of modern transport segments (perception of spatial mobility, quality and characteristics linked to the ways of these transfers, etc.) own institutionalization of tourism (travel agencies, promotion) or growing importance of services (gastronomy, hotel industry, etc.). Despite its complicated nature and research potential the topic has been marginal within the scientific and academic society. Systematic travel research in Slovak environment has begun to focus more on older history, with less attention being paid to newer history in the form of works dealing with partial aspects. In addition to historical science, sociology and economics are also concerned with the issue. In Czech historiography, the issue is treated a little more rigorously and studied from several angles. Monographs and studies include economic, legislative and cultural aspects, as well as dimensions, transport or international relations. On this basis, the aim of this study is to point out the problematic nature of the term “tourism”, to define its cultural and historical aspects in selected period, and then to approach, evaluate and compare a selected sample of works from the Czech and Slovak research environment. The paper introduces the initial heuristic sonde to the planned wider and deeper research on the subject.The aim of the submitted paper is to point out the problematic nature of the term “tourism”, to define its cultural and historical aspects during the selected period, evaluate and compare a selected sample of works on tourism history from Czech and Slovak research environments with special regard to the defined cultural-historical aspects. The paper represents the primary heuristic sonde for the planned wider and deeper research of tourism in Slovakia during the inter-war period. A shift in knowledge of the studied subject is represented mainly at the level of heuristics and conceptualization of problems in historiography and its evaluation. Tourism is a very complex and inhomogeneous phenomenon that includes a multitude of activities and in terms of its research, a plurality of interdisciplinary transitions. On this basis, it is also possible to talk about the relevant plurality of approaches, definitions, definitions, conceptualizations and interpretative frameworks applied by different disciplines. Such key elements are history, cultural anthropology, geography, sociology, economics, psychology, pedagogy, etc. In general, tourism is one of the significant and relatively sensitive indicators of large-scale structural transformation processes in a societal context at different levels, from politics and economy to the cultural and social sphere, which is particularly true for the first half of the 20th century. The development of tourism in the selected period affected also the territory of Czechoslovakia and despite the social, economic and partly cultural situation in the country, it became an important indicator of the economic level but also of the extensive transformation processes at the cultural and social level during the interwar period. This is particularly true for the territory of Slovakia, which resembled numerous economic and cultural disproportions against Czech lands, but extensive modernization transformation processes affected it considerably during the selected period. From the cultural point of view, the development of tourism was re?ected in a number of interrelated aspects. For example, we may discuss a modern way of spending leisure time at the level of various travel motives, leisure travel, behavioural patterns and motivations when choosing a destination, etc. It also includes the modernization of traditional and development of modern transport segments, whether at the level of their own physical development but also at the level of perception and survival of spatial mobility, perception and survival of the quality and characteristics associated with the modes of these movements, Last but not least, is also the institutionalization of tourism at the level of travel agencies or promotions, as well as the increasing importance of services, such as gastronomy, hotel services etc. Topic of tourism in the inter-war period is despite its division and research potential, at the edge of researchers’ attention. In Slovak historiography, systematic research on travel and spatial mobility began to focus more on older history. Recently, there has been paid attention to partial aspect of tourism, more in the form of different analytical studies and articles than in works of synthesis. The complex work dedicated to tourism issues in Slovakia in the form of a comprehensive monograph was not written in the first half of the 20th century, or in the inter-war period Apart from historical science, also sociology and economics are interested in the topic in Slovakia. Despite the marginal level of elaboration, it would be unwise to state that historical science in Slovakia neglects the mentioned phenomenon. A problem factor is the mentioned plurality of areas that link the phenomenon of tourism, and also the plurality of interpretative frameworks used by various scientific disciplines. This results in a non-uniform methodological and interpretative basis. In addition, historians make the situation a rather fragmented source base, which is related to the unlimited competencies and inconsistent access to tourism by individual ministries, respectively. Responsible corporations that have led to separate agendas in this relationship. The work of historians is complicated by fragmented source base what is connected to defined competencies and inconsistent approach to tourism by individual ministries, respectively. Paper presents works from the Slovak research environment, which is evaluated within groups of monothematic works with a more popular character, socio-economical works. Subsequently, the issue is approached within the framework of books by historians dealing with, for example, history of transport, federal life, history of gastronomy and hotel services in the wider context of economic and social history. We may mention analytical studies with partial analysis of tourism and, to a lesser extent, more complex monographs, especially in Slovakia’s economic and social history. Czech historiography, discusses the issue of tourism in the inter-war period more rigorously and its research involves several aspects. Monographs and studies include economic, legislative and cultural aspects. Naturally, we may observe also dimensions of transport or international relations. In this study, a methodologically tuned work focusing on conceptualizing the concepts of “mobility”, “transport”, “travel” and “tourism” is anchored in the wider cultural, social and economic context of developing transport opportunities as well as motivating individuals to dynamite their present. Attention is also paid to a comprehensive monograph on the history of tourism in interwar Czechoslovakia in selected period. Paper fix on the whole range of assumptions as well as various limitations of its development in the economic, social and cultural conditions of Czechoslovakia. Attention is paid towards state tourism policy, mass, mass tourism, its institutional background, individual travel, promotion, and service or transport options. At the same time, it puts domestic tourism in a wider foreign context; it depicts also necessary formalities for traveling abroad or statistical expression of the ratio of the ingoing and outgoing tourism. Particular attention is paid to cultural aspects that are based on the “possibilities of individuality” (fund of his / her leisure time, financial background, motives, or local conditions). Despite the fact that Slovakia is described only in marginalized way in the work, it presents a valuable and beneficial input into the topic, while the methodological approach of the author used in monograph can be applied to tourism research in Slovakia in the selected period. Main results of the paper lay in naming of key issues in the understanding of the tourism issue by historians, pointing to the problem of the re-evaluation and methodological alignment of the interpretative frameworks of the issue and to pointing to the quantitative and qualitative disproportion of the problem processing in the Czech and Slovak historiography, by example of a more detailed sample of research work. Final results of the paper lay in naming the key problems addressing the topic of tourism by historians. It is necessary to rethink and methodologically unify research frames of the topic. To point out the disproportion of the discussed problem in Czech and Slovak historiography, on the example of a selected scientific papers.

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