Safeguarding the Capital's Heritage: An Urban Center Reconstructing Itself Amidst the Onslaught of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her recently completed front door. The restoration team had playfully nicknamed its elegant transom window the “pastry”, a whimsical nod to its bowed shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a showy bird,” she remarked, admiring its twig-detailed features. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who celebrated with a couple of neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an act of defiance in the face of a neighboring state, she elaborated: “We strive to live like ordinary people regardless of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the best possible way. We’re not afraid of remaining in our homeland. The possibility to emigrate existed, starting anew to Italy. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance shows our allegiance to our homeland.”

“We are trying to live like ordinary people in spite of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the best possible way.”

Protecting Kyiv’s architectural heritage may appear strange at a period when missile strikes regularly target the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, offensive operations have been significantly intensified. After each strike, workers cover shattered windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Amid the Conflict, a Fight for Beauty

Amid the bombs, a collective of activists has been striving to save the city’s decaying mansions, built in a distinctive style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the central Shevchenkivskyi district. It was constructed in 1906 and was originally the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its outer walls is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare nowadays,” Danylenko noted. The building was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity showcase similar art nouveau features, including asymmetry – with a gothic tower on one side and a turret on the other. One popular house in the area boasts two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Dual Dangers to Legacy

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who raze protected buildings, dishonest officials and a political leadership indifferent or opposed to the city’s rich architectural history. The harsh winter climate presents another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where money wins. We lack real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s mayor was allied with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov further alleged that the vision for the capital is reminiscent of a bygone era. The mayor rejects these claims, saying they originate from political rivals.

Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once protected older properties were now engaged in combat or had been killed. The protracted conflict meant that the entire society was facing financial problems, he added, including those in the legal system who inexplicably ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see deterioration of our society and governing institutions,” he contended.

Loss and Neglect

One notorious location of loss is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had committed to preserve its attractive brick facade. Shortly following the full-scale invasion, diggers demolished it. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new shopping and business centre, monitored by a surly 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 asserting they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A former political system also wrought immense damage on the capital, rebuilding its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could facilitate official processions.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most renowned advocates of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was lost his life in 2022 while fighting in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were continuing his crucial preservation work. There were originally 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s prosperous business magnates. Only 80 of their period doors survived, she said.

“It wasn’t foreign rockets that eliminated them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now nothing will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a full of character creeper-covered house built in 1910, which serves as the headquarters of her cultural organization and also serves as a film set and museum. The property has a new crimson entrance and period-correct railings; inside is a historic washroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could continue for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now little will be left.”

The building’s tenant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens not cherish the past? “Sadly they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are striving as a country to integrate with the west. But we are still a way off from such cultural awareness,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking remained, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Therapy in Action

Some buildings are crumbling because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons nested among its smashed windows; refuse lay under a storybook tower. “Many times we lose the battle,” she acknowledged. “Preservation work is therapy for us. We are striving to save all this past and beauty.”

In the face of destruction and commercial interests, these activists continue their work, one building at a time, arguing that to rebuild a city’s identity, you must first protect its walls.