Sloup (Blansko District)

49°24′53″N 16°44′22″E / 49.41472°N 16.73944°E / 49.41472; 16.73944Country Czech RepublicRegionSouth MoravianDistrictBlanskoFirst mentioned1373Area • Total7.65 km² (2.95 sq mi)Elevation471 m (1,545 ft)Population • Total991 • Density130/km² (340/sq mi)Time zoneUTC+1 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)Postal codeWebsitewww.mestyssloup.cz

Sloup is a market town in Blansko District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,000 inhabitants.

Sloup is located about 9 kilometres (6 mi) northeast of Blansko and 24 km (15 mi) north of Brno. It lies in the Drahany Highlands. The highest point is the hill Bučí at 653 m (2,142 ft) above sea level. Sloup lies on the northern border of the Moravian Karst Protected Landscape Area. In the municipality is located part of the Sloupsko-šošůvské jeskyně Nature Reserve ("Sloup-Šošůvka Caves").

The first written mention of Sloup is from 1373. The estate often changed hands; the most notable owners were the Pernštejn family in the first half of the 16th century. At the end of the 16th century, Sloup became part of the Rájec estate, which lasted until the establishment of a separate municipality in 1848.^[2]

In 1862, Sloup was promoted to a market town.^[3]

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1869 539 —     1880 425 −21.2% 1890 436 +2.6% 1900 467 +7.1% 1910 636 +36.2%	Year Pop. ±% 1921 579 −9.0% 1930 595 +2.8% 1950 610 +2.5% 1961 676 +10.8% 1970 751 +11.1%	Year Pop. ±% 1980 913 +21.6% 1991 931 +2.0% 2001 891 −4.3% 2011 931 +4.5% 2021 941 +1.1%
Source: Censuses[4][5]

There are no railways or major roads passing through the municipal territory.

The main landmark of Sloup is the Church of Our Lady of Sorrows. The church was built in the Baroque style in 1751–1754. It is an important regional Marian pilgrimage site, connected with a statue of Our Lady of Sorrows.^[6]

The cave system is the largest accessible cave system in the country. Its part, which is located in the municipal territory, includes the Kůlna Cave, which became a remarkable European Paleolithic site since the 1880s.^[7]