ORCID iD 0000-0002-7219-4874

Profile of scientific research activity

As part of scientific research, he is devoted to the landscape from the point of view of anthropogenic influences and transformations (devastation) in the area of the Western Carpathians (Slovakia). His emphasis is placed primarily on (historical) montane (mining) localities and the associated landscape phenomena. He divides his scientific research activity into three main areas of interest: historical geography and environmental history of the landscape, anthropogenic geomorphology with an emphasis on montane specificities, and physical geography of the local landscape.

From the point of view of historical geography and environmental history, he deals with theoretical-methodical starting points, meta-problems, and conceptualization of the terminology in these fields primarily as geographical sub-disciplines. In thematic research of the historical landscape, he focuses his attention on the activity of man in the historical landscape as the main driving force of changes in the past (i.e., since the Middle Ages). Priority emphasis is placed on the research of a wide range of montane topics, primarily in the mountainous regions of central Slovakia, but also in Slovakia as a whole (Western Carpathians). The fundamental topics of research in this area can be summarized in basic areas: the impact of man on the landscape because of mining activities, the history of the landscape and the environment in general, research on historical land use, the history of mining, historical water management systems or the impact of man on vegetation in the past.

In the framework of anthropogenic geomorphology, his research is focused mainly on the montane relief, its morphological and morphometric characteristics, but also anthropogenic geomorphological processes. For a long time, he is devoted not only to the conceptualization of the terminological apparatus, but also to the theoretical-methodical starting points of anthropogenic-geomorphological research, especially the historical relics of the relief created or conditioned by the extraction of mineral resources. In the country of the Western Carpathians, he studies the surface and subsurface montane and pseudo montane relief. He focuses his attention on Central Slovak mining (montane) locations, but also on isolated montane points. Within the framework of anthropogenic geomorphology, he also deals with other forms of relief defined by genetic classification - littoral, urban and agrarian.

In his research, he partly deals with physical geography, not only in cabinet analyzes and syntheses, but especially in mapping in the field. He carried out his field research at the level of the local landscape, when researching settlements, cadastral territories, mountainous areas, or higher-order watersheds.

 

Qualification

Habilitation procedures (doc. et doc.):
Associate professor title awarded in: 2021
Faculty of Humanities and Natural Sciences, University of Prešov
Program: Geography, Earth Sciences
Associate professor title awarded in: 2018
Faculty of Mining, Ecology, Management and Geotechnologies, Technical University of Košice
Program: Acquisition and processing of land resources

Scientific rank IIa:
Acquired in: 2011
Slovak Academy of Sciences in Bratislava

Academic title Doctor of Education (PaedDr.):
Acquired in: 2002
Faculty of Natural Sciences, Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica
Program: Teaching of general education courses, Geography teaching

Third-level university education (PhD.):
Completed in: 2002
Faculty of Natural Sciences, Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica
Program: Theory of teaching general and professional subjects, Geography teaching

Second-level university education (Mgr.):
Completed in: 1997
Faculty of Natural Sciences, Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica
Program: Teaching training in geography, teaching geography and history

 

Current and previous employment

2021-now
Associated professor: Department of Geography and Geology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica

2015-2021
Associated professor, lecturer: Department of Geo and Mountain Tourism, Institute of Earth Resources, Faculty of Mining, Ecology, Management and Geotechnology, Technical University of Košice

2005-2015
Researcher (IIa), head of department: Department of Landscape and Regional Research, Institute of Science and Research of Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica

2001-2005
Researcher: Department of Geography, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica

1998-2001
Internal doctoral student: Department of Geography, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica

 

Teaching activities

Co-guarantor of study programs:
Teaching training in geography – bachelor and master degree
Geopotential of regions – bachelor degree
Applied geosciences – master degree

Lectured profile courses:
Introduction to geography
Regional geography of Slovakia
Modern trends in geographic education
Historical geography
Basics of geography
Physical geography of Slovakia
Modern research methods in geosciences
Quaternary geology and geomorphology
Anthropogenic geomorphology

Overview of supervised and completed final theses:
Bachelor's: 10
Master's: 12

 

Scientific research activity

Number of outputs of scientific activity: 227
Number of outputs registered in the Web of Science or Scopus databases: 34
Number of scientific monographs and monographic works: 29
Number of citations of creative scientific outputs (identified): 95
Number of citations registered in the Web of Science or Scopus databases: 55
The overall overview of the outputs of publication activity is available in the databases of the university library: LINK

 

Projects

Project guidance (principal investigator):

VEGA 1/0667/21 Environmental specifics of the environment of selected montane water management systems in Slovakia, project duration: 2021-2023

VEGA 1/0236/18 Environmental aspects of the environment of mining localities in Slovakia in the Middle Ages and early modern times, project duration: 2018-2020

VEGA 1/0270/10 Economic and technical use of watercourses in the middle of Pohronie region until 1918, project duration: 2010-2012

VEGA 1/0244/10 History of coal mining in the South Slovak coal basin, project duration: 2010-2012

VEGA 1/4051/07 Primary relics of surface mining in relation to the cultural landscape of the Zvolen Basin, project duration: 2007-2009

 

Participation in scientific projects:

APVV-18-0185 Land-use changes of Slovak cultural landscape and prediction of its further development, project duration 2019-2022

VEGA 1/0762/09 Ecological integrity of the landscape and evaluation of its changes in the cultural landscape in relation to the protection of biodiversity and sustainable development in the period of global climate change, project duration 2009-2011

VEGA 1/2043/05 Quality and use of the environment in the foothills and mountain areas of central Slovakia, project duration 2005-2007

VEGA 1/0210/03 State and forecast of the use of resources of the primary and human sphere in the regions of central Slovakia, project duration 2003-2005

VEGA 1/7423/20, Geoecological and human-geographic optimization of basin and mountain systems in Slovakia, project duration 2000-2002

VEGA 1/4267/97 Natural, ecological and socioeconomic-geographical optimization of basin systems in Slovakia, project duration 1997-1999

 

International projects:

EIT- Mine Heritage. Historical Mining – tracing and learning from ancient materials and mining. Tech. No. 18111, project duration: 2019-2021, co-investigator

EIT – Virtual Mine - as a modeling tool for Wider Society Learning, project duration: 2017-2019, co-investigator

 

Membership in the editorial boards of scientific journals:

2022-present
Member of the scientific board of the periodical (co-initiator of the reissue) Geographical studies

2021-present
Chief scientific editor and member of the scientific editorial board of the journal Matej Bel Geographical Review

2016-2020
Co-founder and member of the scientific editorial board of the journal Acta Regionalia

2015-present
Member of the scientific editorial board of the journal (since 2019 deputy scientific editor) Acta Geoturistica

2014-present
Founder and member of the scientific editorial board of the journal Questiones Rerum Naturalium

2005-2015
Founder of the journal Matej Bel Geographical Review, technical editor

 

Membership in scientific societies:

2018-present
Founding member and vice-chairman of the section: Section for Environmental History at the Slovak Historical Society (Slovak Academy of Sciences)

1998-present
Member of the Slovak Geographical Society (Slovak Academy of Sciences)

 

Erasmus mobilities:

1.5.2022-7.5.2022 - Facultatea de Geografie, Turism și Sport, Departamentul de Geografie, Turism și Amenajarea Teritoriului, Universitatea din Oradea (Romania)

 

Number of invited lectures at the international and national level: 7

 

Other activities related to higher education or creative activity:

1. Founder and main organizer of the periodic international scientific conference "Man and Landscape in the Past" (since 2014), which is primarily focused on the presentation of the latest scientific research in the field of historical geography and environmental history of the landscape.

2. Founder and main organizer of a periodic scientific conference focused on regional research from the point of view of geography, historical geography, environmental history and the landscape, which has been organized for the 5th year since 2015. Its central theme is the history of the environment and the landscape.

3. Publication: Hronček, P. et al. (2015): "Obe obce svätoondrejské..." received the award of the Club of Photojournalists (1st place in the competition The most beautiful book and promotional material about Slovakia for the year 2015, category Books about villages).

4. Publication: Hronček, P. et al. (2016): "Lučatín v premenách času" won the award of the Club of Photojournalists (1st place in the competition Most beautiful book and promotional material about Slovakia for the year 2016, category Books about villages).

5. Publication: Ferenc, Š., Hronček, P., Senček, R., Vlasáč, J. (2018): "Lignite mining near Badín and in the vicinity of Banská Bystrica" won the award of the Club of Photojournalists (1st place in the competition Most beautiful book and promotional material about Slovakia for the year 2018, category Books about the region and region).

6. Publication: Budaj, M., Hronček, P. et al. (2016): "Od mýta k Mýtu" won the award of the Club of Photojournalists (1st place in the competition The most beautiful book and promotional material about Slovakia for the year 2019, category Books about municipalities).

7. Publication: Budaj, M., Hronček, P. et al. (2016): "Od mýta k Mýtu" won the award of the National Education Center (special prize in the competition).

8. Publication: Ferenc, Š., Hronček, P., Senček, R., Vlasáč, J. (2018): "Lignite mining near Badín and in the vicinity of Banská Bystrica" received an award from the National Education Center (special prize in the Slovak Chronicle competition, category Building monuments, monuments of folk architecture, cultural and technical monuments...).

9. Publication: Hronček, P., Gregorová, B., Herčko, I. (2021): "Lignite mining in the vicinity of Veľký Krtíš" won the Emy Goldperger award from the Civic Association Friends of the History of Novohrad and the Lučenec Town Museum (1st place in the category best book).