Sloup (Blansko District) Explained

Sloup
Settlement Type:Market town
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Type1:Region
Subdivision Name1:South Moravian
Subdivision Type2:District
Subdivision Name2:Blansko
Pushpin Map:Czech Republic
Pushpin Relief:1
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates:49.4147°N 16.7394°W
Established Title:First mentioned
Established Date:1373
Area Total Km2:7.65
Elevation M:471
Population As Of:2024-01-01
Population Footnotes:[1]
Population Total:991
Population Density Km2:auto
Timezone1:CET
Utc Offset1:+1
Timezone1 Dst:CEST
Utc Offset1 Dst:+2
Postal Code Type:Postal code
Postal Code:679 13

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 9km (06miles) northeast of Blansko and 24km (15miles) north of Brno. It lies in the Drahany Highlands. The highest point is the hill Bučí at 653m (2,142feet) 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]

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.[4]

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.[5]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2024. Czech Statistical Office. 2024-05-17.
  2. Web site: Historie. Městys Sloup. cs. 2023-12-28.
  3. Web site: Hřebenáč ročník XVII číslo 2. Městys Sloup. 4. cs. 2012-09-07. 2023-12-28.
  4. Web site: Poutní chrám Panny Marie Bolestné ve Sloupě. CzechTourism. cs. 2022-07-25.
  5. Web site: Sloupsko-šošůvské jeskyně – největší zpřístupněné jeskyně v ČR. CzechTourism. cs. 2022-07-25.