The Romanesque tower is the oldest part of Hejnum Church. It originally formed part of a Romanesque church, but the nave and choir were replaced during the mid-13th century by the presently visible, more Gothic parts. Remains of the original church were discovered during an excavation in 1914. A runic inscription above the western portal of the tower bears the inscription 'Botvid master mason'. The church remains largely unchanged since the Middle Ages and underwent a renovation in 1960.
The church consists of a nave, a more narrow choir, a sacristy and the western tower. The tower has openings for the church bells supported by colonnettes and an octagonal spire. Several stone reliefs, one portal and parts of a frieze from the original, Romanesque church have been incorporated into the façade of the presently visible church. The main portal of the church is unusually located on the north side of the church, since the church is located south of the road. The lancet-shaped windows, including the three slender windows in the east wall of the choir, are all original. The choir portal has decoration similar to that of Hellvi Church and has been attributed to a stonemason named Lavrans Botvidarsson. Internally, the church is decorated by frescos; one set dating from circa 1250 and another, by the so-called Master of the Passion of Christ, from the 15th century.
References:Střekov Castle (Schreckenstein) is perched atop a cliff above the River Elbe, near the city of Ústí nad Labem. It was built in 1316 for John of Luxembourg, the father of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, to guard an important trade route to Germany. After changing hands several times, the castle was acquired by the Lobkowicz family in 1563. Its strategic importance led to occupations by Imperial Habsburg, Saxon, and Swedish forces during the Thirty Years' War, as well as successive sieges by Austrian and Prussian armies during the Seven Years' War.
Although Střekov Castle was heavily damaged during those conflicts and abandoned as a military installation by the end of the 18th century, the 1800s saw many poets and artists visiting the castle, drawn by a new trend of interest in romantic ruins.