Evidence for regional upwelling conditions in the Central Paratethys Sea is presented for mid-Burdigalian (early Ottnangian) times. The oceanographic phenomenon is detected in clay-diatomite successions along the steep escarpment of the Bohemian Massif in the eastern North Alpine Foreland Basin. Interpretations are based on a multi-proxy data-set including published sedimentological and paleontological data, newly performed stable isotope measurements (δ¹⁸O, δ¹³C) of foraminifers and bulk sediment samples, and analyses of dinoflagellate cyst assemblages. The revealed stable isotope values of planktonic foraminifers point to upwelling: low δ¹³C values indicate strong mixing of surface waters with rising nutrient-rich waters, high δ¹⁸O values reflect cool sea surface temperatures (SST). Temperature calculations give SSTs ranging from 10–14 °C. Cool SSTs and high productivity are additionally supported by bulk sediment analyses. Assemblages of dinoflagellate cysts indicate a distal-shelf environment with nutrient-rich waters. Westerly winds and tidal currents are discussed as potential driving forces behind the local upwelling event. As mid-Burdigalian geography favoured strong current patterns in the Central Paratethys as documented in the sedimentary record from the Rhone Basin to Hungary upwelling might have been a more common phenomenon in this epicontinental sea than currently known.