However, this place borders with a unique spot of European significance- a natural surface source of light oil. It is well known under the name Korňa oil spring.

The first written information on the oil spring dates to 1624. The spring is believed to have been discovered by the local poacher Žúbor who fell into it while chasing forest animals.

On the contrary, a legend from the 17th century says the source of "black water" in the forests near Turzovka was the one which devils were drinking from. The mayor of Korňa, Marianna Bebčáková, was inspired by this rumour and prepared a project to make this unique place even more attractive. Due to the project funding, the surroundings of the source were nicely surfaced, and a statue associated with the rumour of devils was erected on the spot.

Initially, the light oil gushing from the ground was used by local residents for heating, lighting and lubricating cars. It was hardly an ecological way of using the source, but on the other hand, Korňa wooden houses are said to be lasting for centuries, thanks to the fact that they were once painted by the oil. Of course, the rumours about the riches of ground did not leave the then state representatives indifferent either. As a result, a total of 5 wells were drilled to a depth of 968 meters between 1900 and 1933. At the time, a total of 15 to 16 wagons of oil were extracted here.

However, after these mining attempts, the abundance of the source was evaluated as uneconomical, and the unique spot remained unnoticed for many years. In 1973, the oil spring was declared a protected natural creation and a natural monument.

An attempt to revive the Slovak Dallas came in the years 1997-1999, when the company Nafta Gbely executed an exploratory well for the SPP (the biggest energy supplier in Slovakia) to verify the yield of the source. At that time, experts estimated oil reserves in this area at approximately 50,000 tons. The drillhole was planned to reach the depth of 1500 meters, but finally it was only 1297 meters deep. Due to the occurrence of liquid sands, it was not possible to continue deeper. The drillhole confirmed the presence of underwater with a lot of minerals, but the water was cold. Since there are the reserves of gas, it could be used to heat the water, but the technology would require a large investment that would need much courage. In the past, a few investors expressed an interest in building a spa in Korňa like the one in Darkov in Karvina, where they heat the water with gas from the underground. The analysis of the water from the well confirmed that its mineral composition has the prerequisites for therapeutic and rehabilitation purposes.

Though the SPP offered to sell the completed drillhole for a symbolical price of one crown, none of the plans came to fruition. In 2006, the company liquidated the well by concreting it to a depth of 600 meters so that gas and oil would not escape indiscriminately. An unusual incident is also connected to these liquidation works, when someone stole the company's production cross which was on an oil spring. Of course, thefts are quite a common thing, but this cross weighed 1,334 kg and the thief has never been found.

After the liquidation of the well, only a spontaneous gush of light oil with occasional spurts of self-igniting methane remained and this is the unique attraction of Kysuce these days. Apart from Slovakia, such a spring can only be found in Costa Rica. Despite the unsuccessful drilling, the territory is still considered promising for the future! The spot approximately 150 m distant from the parking lot may be accessed freely.

Autor: OCR Kysuce