Svijany
Encyclopedia
Established in 1564, Svijany is one of the oldest Czech
breweries
. It is located in the village of Svijany
.
The brewery produces an extensive range of unpasteurised lager
s, mostly light in color and ranging in strength between 4% and 6.5% ABV.
In common with the breweries in Náchod
and Rohozec, Svijany is owned by the Liberec Investment Fund.
dates from 1345, when the village was owned by a Cistercian monastery located in Mnichovo Hradiste. In 1565 the village became the property of Jaroslav of Vartemberk, who built a fortress there, but the brewery was already operating by 1564, and it continued to operate to the benefit of Jaroslav's estate. Upon Jaroslav's death in 1602, the village, fortress, and brewery all passed to Jachym Ondrej Slik. As a rebel against Habsburg rule of Bohemia, he was executed in 1621, and Svijany came under control of the Wallenstein family through 1814. In 1820, Svijany (together with the village and castle of Sychrov) passed to control of the Rohan family. They sold the brewery to their tenant, Antonin Kratochvile, whose family continued to operate it until 1939, at which point they were compelled to sell it back to the Rohan family. In 1945 the brewery was confiscated and nationalized as part of the state-owned North Bohemian Breweries, which was dissolved in 1990, at which point Svijany became part of the state-owned Breweries of Vratislavice nad Nisou. Later threatened with closure due to a sales crisis, Svijany was sold to the newly established Pivovar Svijany (Svijany Brewery Ltd.) in 1998. This was converted to a joint-stock company in 1992 and incorporated into Pražské Pivovary (Prague Breweries) in 1997. At that time Pražské Pivovary had come under control of the English brewer Bass company. In 2002, Pražské Pivovary became part of the Belgium-based Interbrew
group, changing their name in 2003 from Pražské Pivovary to Pivovary Staropramen. In 2004, Interbrew
merged with AmBev
to form Inbev
. In 2009, the private equity fund CVC Capital Partners
bought all of Anheuser–Busch InBev
's holdings in Central Europe, renaming the operation StarBev. In 2010, Svijany came under ownership of the the Liberec Investment Fund.
More recently, in September of 2011, the brewery's Svijanská Kněžna (Princess of Svijani) beer was the winner, in the category of special semi-dark and dark beers, in the third annual contest of special and unusual beers at the Znojmo Grape 2011 gastronomic festival.
Also in September of 2011, Svijany's brewing expert Ladislav Cerny and longtime brewery manager Frantisek Horak were inducted into the Czech Brewing and Malting Hall of Fame.
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
breweries
Brewery
A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
. It is located in the village of Svijany
Svijany
Established in 1564, Svijany is one of the oldest Czech breweries. It is located in the village of Svijany.The brewery produces an extensive range of unpasteurised lagers, mostly light in color and ranging in strength between 4% and 6.5% ABV....
.
The brewery produces an extensive range of unpasteurised lager
Lager
Lager is a type of beer made from malted barley that is brewed and stored at low temperatures. There are many types of lager; pale lager is the most widely-consumed and commercially available style of beer in the world; Pilsner, Bock, Dortmunder Export and Märzen are all styles of lager...
s, mostly light in color and ranging in strength between 4% and 6.5% ABV.
In common with the breweries in Náchod
Náchod
Náchod -History:Náchod was founded in 14th century by knight Hron of Načeradice, who founded a castle on a strategical place, where local trade road reaches the defile called Branka. The first written note dates back to 1254.-Castle:...
and Rohozec, Svijany is owned by the Liberec Investment Fund.
History of Svijany village and brewery
The first mention of SvijanySvijany
Established in 1564, Svijany is one of the oldest Czech breweries. It is located in the village of Svijany.The brewery produces an extensive range of unpasteurised lagers, mostly light in color and ranging in strength between 4% and 6.5% ABV....
dates from 1345, when the village was owned by a Cistercian monastery located in Mnichovo Hradiste. In 1565 the village became the property of Jaroslav of Vartemberk, who built a fortress there, but the brewery was already operating by 1564, and it continued to operate to the benefit of Jaroslav's estate. Upon Jaroslav's death in 1602, the village, fortress, and brewery all passed to Jachym Ondrej Slik. As a rebel against Habsburg rule of Bohemia, he was executed in 1621, and Svijany came under control of the Wallenstein family through 1814. In 1820, Svijany (together with the village and castle of Sychrov) passed to control of the Rohan family. They sold the brewery to their tenant, Antonin Kratochvile, whose family continued to operate it until 1939, at which point they were compelled to sell it back to the Rohan family. In 1945 the brewery was confiscated and nationalized as part of the state-owned North Bohemian Breweries, which was dissolved in 1990, at which point Svijany became part of the state-owned Breweries of Vratislavice nad Nisou. Later threatened with closure due to a sales crisis, Svijany was sold to the newly established Pivovar Svijany (Svijany Brewery Ltd.) in 1998. This was converted to a joint-stock company in 1992 and incorporated into Pražské Pivovary (Prague Breweries) in 1997. At that time Pražské Pivovary had come under control of the English brewer Bass company. In 2002, Pražské Pivovary became part of the Belgium-based Interbrew
Interbrew
Interbrew was a large Belgium-based brewing company which owned many internationally known beers, as well as some smaller local beers. In 2004 Interbrew merged with Brazilian brewer AmBev to form InBev, which is the now largest brewer in the world by volume, with a 13% global market share now...
group, changing their name in 2003 from Pražské Pivovary to Pivovary Staropramen. In 2004, Interbrew
Interbrew
Interbrew was a large Belgium-based brewing company which owned many internationally known beers, as well as some smaller local beers. In 2004 Interbrew merged with Brazilian brewer AmBev to form InBev, which is the now largest brewer in the world by volume, with a 13% global market share now...
merged with AmBev
AmBev
Ambev formally Companhia de Bebidas das Américas is a subsidiary of global brewing company Anheuser-Busch InBev and is the biggest brewery in South America and the fifth in the world...
to form Inbev
InBev
InBev is a subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev. The company existed independently for several years - since the merger between Interbrew and AmBev and until the acquisition of Anheuser-Busch. InBev has operations in over 30 countries and sales in over 130 countries...
. In 2009, the private equity fund CVC Capital Partners
CVC Capital Partners
CVC Capital Partners is one of the top five largest private equity firms globally with approximately US$46 billion in funds focused on management buyouts...
bought all of Anheuser–Busch InBev
Anheuser–Busch InBev
Anheuser-Busch InBev N.V. is a Belgian-Brazilian publicly-traded company, based in Leuven, Belgium. It is the largest global brewer with nearly 25% global market share and one of the world's top five consumer products companies by EBITA....
's holdings in Central Europe, renaming the operation StarBev. In 2010, Svijany came under ownership of the the Liberec Investment Fund.
More recently, in September of 2011, the brewery's Svijanská Kněžna (Princess of Svijani) beer was the winner, in the category of special semi-dark and dark beers, in the third annual contest of special and unusual beers at the Znojmo Grape 2011 gastronomic festival.
Also in September of 2011, Svijany's brewing expert Ladislav Cerny and longtime brewery manager Frantisek Horak were inducted into the Czech Brewing and Malting Hall of Fame.