Preserving Kyiv's Heritage: A City Reconstructing Itself in the Shadow of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her recently completed front door. Local helpers had affectionately dubbed its ornate transom window the “crescent roll”, a whimsical nod to its curved shape. “I think it’s more of a peafowl,” she stated, gazing at its branch-like features. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who celebrated with several lively pavement parties.

It was also an expression of resistance towards a neighboring state, she elaborated: “We strive to live like everyday people despite the war. It’s about shaping our life in the best possible way. We’re not afraid of living in our country. The possibility to emigrate existed, moving away to Italy. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance represents our dedication to our homeland.”

“We strive to live like normal people in spite of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the optimal way.”

Safeguarding Kyiv’s historic buildings could be considered strange at a time when aerial assaults regularly target the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, aerial raids have been dramatically stepped up. After each strike, workers cover broken windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Among the Bombs, a Battle for Beauty

Despite the violence, a band of activists has been attempting to save the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the downtown Shevchenkivskyi district. It was erected in 1906 and was originally the home of a affluent fur dealer. Its outer walls is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce today,” Danylenko stated. The residence was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity showcase similar art nouveau features, including an irregular shape – with a gothic tower on one side and a turret on the other. One much-loved house in the area boasts two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Dual Threats to Heritage

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who demolish protected buildings, dishonest officials and a political leadership unconcerned or opposed to the city’s profound architectural history. The severe winter climate imposes another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We lack substantive political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s leadership was friends with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov stated that the vision for the capital is reminiscent of a different time. The mayor rejects these claims, stating they come from political rivals.

Perov said many of the community-oriented activists who once defended older properties were now fighting on the frontline or had been fallen. The ongoing conflict meant that all citizens was facing economic hardship, he added, including those in the legal system who mysteriously ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see degradation of our society and state bodies,” he remarked.

Loss and Abandonment

One egregious location of loss is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had committed to preserve its picturesque brick facade. A day after the full-scale invasion, excavators demolished it. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new retail and office development, watched by a unfriendly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was little optimism for the remaining blue-green houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled old properties while stating they were doing “archaeological research”, he said. A 20th-century empire also inflicted immense damage on the capital, redesigning its primary street after the second world war so it could facilitate military vehicles.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most renowned champions of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was fell in 2022 while fighting in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were continuing his important preservation work. There were originally 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s successful business magnates. Only 80 of their original doors are still in existence, she said.

“It was not external attacks that got rid of them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could last another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now nothing will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a full of character ivy-draped house built in 1910, which functions as the headquarters of her cultural organization and also serves as a film set and museum. The property has a new red door and original-style railings; inside is a period bathroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could last another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now nothing will be left.”

The building’s occupant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens not value the past? “Regrettably they do not have education and taste. It’s all about business. We are trying as a country to move towards the west. But we are still a way off from civilization,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking lingered, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Hope in Action

Some buildings are collapsing because of official neglect. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons roosted among its smashed windows; rubbish lay under a whimsical tower. “Many times we are unsuccessful,” she conceded. “Restoration is a form of healing for us. We are attempting to save all this heritage and aesthetic value.”

In the face of destruction and neglect, these activists continue their work, one door at a time, believing that to save a city’s identity, you must first save its walls.