Sloup (Blansko District)

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

Sloup
Market town
View from the west
Flag Coat of arms
Sloup Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 49°24′53″N 16°44′22″E
Country	Czech Republic
Region	South Moravian
District	Blansko
First mentioned	1373
Area
• Total	7.65 km2 (2.95 sq mi)
Elevation	471 m (1,545 ft)
Population  (2025-01-01)[1]
• Total	979
• Density	130/km2 (330/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	679 13
Website	www.mestyssloup.cz

Geography

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").

History

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]

Demographics

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]

Transport

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

Sights

Church of Our Lady of Sorrows

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]