Sloup is a medieval castle in the Czech lands. It is located near Nový Bor in the small town of Sloup v Čechách, in the Liberec Region, north Bohemia, Czech Republic. It takes its name from the special appearance of the 33 m high freestanding sandstone rocks into which it was carved in the 14th century. Sloup means "column".
The castle was first mentioned in records dating from 1324. It was established beside a salt trade route from Mišeň to Česká Lípa by the Ronovec family. The edges of the outcrop, which was a level summit, were carved to resemble castle walls with loopholes, and some of the gullies in the outcrop were filled in with masonry. Thanks to an ingenious system of trenches it was possible to flood the area around the rocks. The combination of natural conditions and human ingenuity turned the castle into a fortress unassailable by medieval warriors.
During the Thirty Years' War, Knight Mikeš Pančiř of Smojna was based here and launched a raid on Lužice, and as a consequence the castle was besieged in 1445-45. When the starving troops capitulated after three months of isolation it was burned down by the end of 1427. The castle was repaired, but it gradually ceased to meet the desired standards of comfort, and during the 16th century it was deserted and became dilapidated.
Sloup is a small town (městys) in Blansko District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic.
The town covers an area of 7.64 square kilometres (2.95 sq mi), and has a population of 902 (as at 28 August 2006).
Sloup lies approximately 9 kilometres (6 mi) north-east of Blansko, 27 km (17 mi) north of Brno, and 183 km (114 mi) south-east of Prague.
Approximately 0,7 miles from Sloup, Sloupsko-šošůvské caves are located, with Kůlna – the cave that became a remarkable European Paleolithic site since the 1880s.