There are several well-known facilities with famous history that provide refreshments and relaxation for tourists and cyclists.

On the Slovak side, there is the former Hotel Baron (Hotel Kysuca) which was not built in 1932 by a real baron, but by a waiter from the local German Berghotel (later called White Cross). The waiter Adolf Baron used the funds of his wealthy wife who came at the place as a tourist. The loving husband even had a Chapel built for his pious wife. These days, the Chapel serves as a place of pilgrimage with a Mass held here the feast of St. Cyril and Methodius. In the 1950s, Karol Wojtyla, the later Pope John Paul II held services there. Since both hotels were German (Berghotel was owned by a German association, the Baron family claimed to be of German nationality), they both suffered the same fate as the third hotel from the locality - the modern Hotel Sulov and the related cottage. Being the property of Germans, all of them were nationalized.

The whole location was thriving and prospering after the war, when it became the centre of trade union recreation services. The complex of three recovery centres had a capacity of 220 beds, which were almost always occupied. Even every Saturday, a direct express train was sent from Prague to Bílá. Better off holiday makers used to overcome the 10 km distance between Bíla and Biely kríž by horse-drawn carriages for 100 CZK (one horse) or 200 CZK (a pair of horses), the rest on foot. After completing the Šance water reservoir, there was a train to Ostravice, and a bus to Vrchpredmier, which was only 2 km from the destination.

In winter, guests use to change in weekly or two-week cycles of organized entertainment. All the programme for vacationers was well prepared in advance. Two lifts were in full operation. One of them with a modern anchor system built from Hotel Kysuca to Vrchpredmier was dismantled in 1976 after 13 years to its southern location and a lack of snow. The other one was placed between the cross and the Hotel Bílý kříž on the meadows (forests today) and a ski jump construction. Each group of guests had an introduction and farewell party, which were an opportunity for the locals to catch a well-off girl from Prague. The local hotels with their own farms, bakeries and relative self-sufficiency employed many local residents. A telephone line for approximately 1000€ was introduced in 1934 and the electric line was installed in 1956.

After the Velvet Revolution, a difficult time came for such centres due to disputes over property and ownership relations, deterioration, and theft of everything valuable. What does it look like there today? You are invited to come and check. There are many access roads to the site. From the Slovak side of the border, we recommend an easy walking route from Vrchpredmier to Klokočov (Bus) - yellow sign 3.5 km, back from Biely Kríž along the red road to Doroťanka (mountain hut) and the local road to the starting point. The entire circuit is approximately 10 km long.

Except for the cottages themselves (Sulov, Hotel Kysuca), be sure not to miss the Chapel, the white cross and the experimental ecological workplace which investigates the effect of changing air and greenhouse gases on plants. Carbon dioxide is brought to the site in tankers from as far as Prague. The research greenery was planted on an area of 1 hectare in 1981, in 2011 there were 1,436 trees growing. Among the other things, you will learn that 36 local spruce trees produce oxygen for one person for a year.

The location of the White Cross is identical with the triple border of Silesia, Moravia and Slovakia. The tripoint can be found in a place called "U kameňa" right as you arrive from Černá on the right-hand side at the Slovak border. It is marked by a stone higher than the others and marked with the number 5. The panoramic map that catches your eye near the Sulov cottage is specific in a certain way. When you look at it, you will find out why :-)

Biely Kríž is genuinely an interesting location to visit.

Gallery

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