Svijany is a village perched on an escarpment above the river Jizera between Turnov and Mnichov Hradiště. The area was populated in the Bronze Age, and important archaeological findings have been discovered in the area.

Svijany was part of the farming estate owned by the Hradiště monastery and controlled by the Markvart family from the 12th century onwards. In the 15th century the Svijany lands were acquired by the Vartenberk family (another branch of the Markvart dynasty), and in 1564 a brewery was established on the site. At the same time work started on a fortress overlooking the river.

The property was acquired at the end of the 16th century by the wealthy Šlik family, but their tenure was short-lived, as the owner Ondřej Šlik participated in the Protestant rebellion on 1618 that triggered the 30 Years War. Šlik was the first noble to be executed in Prague’s Old Town Square in 1621, and the beneficiary was the Imperial generalissimo Albrecht of Valdštejn who acquired the Svijany estates. Albrecht was to go on to purchase vast estates across north Bohemia, consolidating all the territory previously owned by the Markvart dynasty. Albrecht himself came from a branch of this dynasty.

Under the Valdštejn ownership the fortress was rebuilt into a Renaissance chateau, and the brewery was expanded. In the early 19th century, the estate was sold by the Valdštejns to Prince Alain of Rohan family, and thereby attached to the manor of Sychrov.

Finally, the estate was confiscated by the state from the Rohan family in 1945 under the Beneš decrees. Today, the brewery is one of the few remaining domestically owned breweries. The refurbished chateau is open for tours and is also a private hotel.