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.

Geography
Sloup is located about 9 km northeast of Blansko and 24 km north of Brno. It lies in the Drahany Highlands. The highest point is the hill Bučí at 653 m 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.

In 1862, Sloup was promoted to a market town.

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

Sights
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.

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.