Countless stories are associated not only to the name "White Cross", but also to the history of the settlement itself. These are mainly related to the troubled fates of border guards or to the people crossing the borders in the past. The place surrounded by dense forests is literally made to unleash human imagination, especially when it comes to folk superstitions, legends and the cross painted white, which has been standing here for a long time. What is certain, however, is that the settlement is a well-known tourist spot with several guesthouses and cottages on both sides of the border, and can be a starting point for attractive hiking trips to e.g. Lysá Hora. In the past, after the World War II, this place became a centre for trade union recovery programs for the working class. The complex of three holiday centres had a total capacity of 220 beds which were continuously occupied. Even every Saturday, a direct express train was sent from Prague to Bílá. The hotels had their own farms and a bakery; therefore, they were almost self-sufficient. After the Velvet Revolution, the centre deteriorated considerably.

The location is a site of an Experimental Station of Ecology where various processes of the spruce ecosystem are monitored. Entrance to the area must be arranged in advance, but there are educational information panels available in front of the building itself.

On the Slovak side of the border, there stands a stone chapel dedicated to St. Cyril and Methodius, the target of an annual pilgrimage held on July 5. In the month of November, tourists gather here to welcome "Martin on a white horse" symbolising the first snow. The settlement of Biely Kríž and the chapel itself were a place where a young Polish priest Karol Wojtyla, later known as the Pope John Paul II, was serving holy Masses in 1950s.

autor: OCR Kysuce