The village of Miková is located in the Low Beskid mountains, in the Stropkov District within the Prešov Region. The first written records related to the village date from 1390; in fact, settlements of Vlachs – Ruthenians in the feudal state of Stropkov and Humenné first appeared before 1347. Up until the 1700s Miková belonged to the feudal “state” of Stropkov. From the 18th century it was owned by the Keglevi family. The villagers specialised in agriculture, charcoal burning and livestock farming.

It was in the village of Miková that the search for oil was first initiated in Slovakia. The expectations related to petroleum deposits in Miková were related to oil extraction on the northern side of the Carpathians in Krosno. The earliest related written records date from 1684 and 1742. They document that “oil refining and distillation were initiated” in that period (Miroslav Porada, Z dejín ťaženia nafty na severnom Zemplíne, Rusín 1995, nr 5–6, str. 2–3).

According to the data from a local chronicle, industrial oil excavation began as early as 1913. There were two oil wells – Alexander Šandor and Magdaléna, which were owned by the Industrial Trading Company in Strážské. Later these were acquired by the French company Societe Petrole de Miková. In 1930 petroleum was drilled from eight oil wells. Altogether seventeen oil wells were drilled here, ranging in depth from 50 to 250 metres. The largest resources were found in Matej oil well, where 12,961 tonnes of petroleum were excavated in 1941–1943. During the period of 1924–1950 a total of 226,641 tonnes of oil were produced here; the refining process was also carried out in the village. During World Warr II petroleum was exported by Germans. In late August 1944, during the Slovak National Uprising, the oil refinery in Mikova was blown up and burnt down to the ground. Subsequent attempts to extract oil took place here in 1953, however the small plant was ultimately closed due to low productivity and profitability of the oil wells.

The village of Miková is mainly known as the birth place of Andy Warhol’s parents, that is Ondrej Warhol and Júlia Závadská. The nearby town of Medzilaborce is home to Andy Warhol Museum of Modern Art.

Dechtivka

Petroleum was known to people living in and near the village of Miková even in the 18th century, or earlier according to some records. Initially the villagers did not know the properties of petroleum or the ways it could be applied, later however it was discovered that the dark liquid could be useful. It turned out that oil could cure some diseases of animals, it was also suitable for vehicle lubrication and similar purposes. The location where people would extract the black fluid was called “Dychtivka” (tar), and the creek where oil flowed in small quantities was named Ripné (from the Ruthenian word for petroleum). In fact, in the nearby village of Habura there is a different creek, but with the same name.

Worth visiting:

• Greek-Catholic church from 1742.Mikova
• nature reserve Haburské rašelinisko,
• statue of Prince Laborec, Habura,
• Greek Catholic church of St. Bishop Nicholas, Habura,
• Andy Warhol Museum of Modern Art (Andyho Warhola 748/36, 068 01 Medzilaborce)