The Svojanov Castle was built in 1224. During the reign of Ottokar II of Bohemia, it was used for protection of the trade route from Bohemia to Moravia. The first written mention of the settlement below the castle called Svojanov is from 1287. It was then owned by Záviš of Falkenstein, who had the small fortress extended into a big Gothic castle. The village of Starý Svojanov was founded in the 13th century and supposedly is the oldest part of today's municipality.
In 1421, Svojanov was besieged by Jan Žižka and between 1642 and 1645, the market town was occupied by the Swedish army. In December 1798, the Russian legions marched through Svojanov to fight against Napoleon.
The castle ruins are open to the public and often are used for cultural purposes.
The Church of St Donatus name refers to Donatus of Zadar, who began construction on this church in the 9th century and ended it on the northeastern part of the Roman forum. It is the largest Pre-Romanesque building in Croatia.
The beginning of the building of the church was placed to the second half of the 8th century, and it is supposed to have been completed in the 9th century. The Zadar bishop and diplomat Donat (8th and 9th centuries) is credited with the building of the church. He led the representations of the Dalmatian cities to Constantinople and Charles the Great, which is why this church bears slight resemblance to Charlemagne's court chapels, especially the one in Aachen, and also to the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna. It belongs to the Pre-Romanesque architectural period.
The circular church, formerly domed, is 27 m high and is characterised by simplicity and technical primitivism.