Some comments on the state and current problems of research into regional history

In recent years, ever more attention has been devoted to regional history, which represents a specialization in the field of historiography from the point of view of its spatial division. The main reason is the growth of social demand, but also the natural development of Slovak historiography. This paper is a contribution to a discussion arising from a lecture given at a session of the Czecho - Slovak Commission of Historians in November 2005. It briefly analyses the state of research into regional history, maps the institutions and associations, which devote attention to it, and opens various questions, concerning not only the place and importance of regional history for Slovak historiography, but also questions of methodology, terminology and the practical use of the results of research. The main task for the Slovak historical community should be to raise the expert level of the research or create an organizational basis to connect it with society.