The accidental discovery of a petroleum source in the Vienna Basin

Over 22 million years ago, dead organisms in the sediment layers of the ocean between the present-day eastern Alps and western Carpathians turned into gases and viscous liquids. They slowly made their way to the surface. In the year 1910, they unexpectedly caught the attention of Ján Medlen as he was walking through a forest in Gbely, 40 km north of Gajary, and saw bubbles in one particular place. Spying such a strange phenomenon more than stirred his curiosity. Wanting to discover the mystery behind it, he purchased the land for a small sum of money. After building a hut near the site, he started to dig a deep hole. More and more gas came bubbling up. He used this gas as fuel for his oven and furnace, unaware of the inherent dangers. After an explosion one day, the police forbade further solo operations involving the substance. In 1914, leading geologists were called in. It was soon established that the mysterious substance was natural gas, and systematic drilling began soon afterwards. From Ján Medlen’s hut, first gas and then oil came gushing forth, originating 164 metres below the surface. This was the first petroleum source discovered in the Vienna Basin, once a primordial ocean.