Speed, Adventure, Politics: Leisure Motoring in Interwar Slovakia with Regard to the Activities of the Autoclub Košice

Abstract

The text concentrates on the interpretation of “free time” during the initial years of the twentieth century, and the role of motor vehicles as a “means of its consumption” within leisure activities is signifi cant. However, the use of cars and motorcycles in leisure time was strictly determined by the specifi c economic and cultural conditions of interwar Czechoslovakia, particularly in the territory of Slovakia. Socio-economic barriers limited such activities to the upper and, in the case of motorcycles, middle classes. At the same time, leisure motoring was strongly linked with a novel form of tourism that was highly organized in interwar Czechoslovakia (particularly in Slovakia). Within this context, the association emerges as a recreational entity, fostering distinct connections and a collective identity. However, the process was signifi cantly infl uenced by the politicization of organised free-time activities. Examining the role of cars and motorcycles in leisure activities during the researched period, the analysis will consider the defi nitions of free time and how these vehicles were utilized in their social and cultural context, specifi cally through the example of the activities of the Autoclub Košice. The presented text draws on previously published studies and the author’s monograph, as well as recent works and additional sources. Positioning this within the context of the historical-sociological discourse on leisure activities alongside the “consumption” of goods and experiences off ers novel insights into the functioning of motoring associations in Slovakia, particularly in Košice. The Autoclub Košice is identifi ed as a prominent organization that signifi cantly impacted the local rise of motor tourism, sports and general recreational tourism in the observed period.