Protecting Kyiv's Heritage: A City Reconstructing Its Foundations Amidst the Onslaught of War.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her newly installed front door. Local helpers had given the moniker its graceful transom window the “crescent roll”, a playful reference to its arched shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a peafowl,” she remarked, gazing at its twig-detailed features. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who marked the occasion with two neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an expression of opposition in the face of a neighboring state, she elaborated: “We are trying to live like everyday people regardless of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the most positive way. We’re not afraid of living in our homeland. The possibility to emigrate existed, starting anew to another European nation. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance shows our dedication to our homeland.”

“Our aim is to live like normal people in spite of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the optimal way.”

Preserving Kyiv’s architectural heritage may appear strange at a time when drone attacks regularly target the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, offensive operations have been dramatically stepped up. After each assault, workers cover blown-out windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Among the Conflict, a Campaign for Identity

In the midst of war, a band of activists has been striving to preserve 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 first the home of a affluent fur dealer. Its facade is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce in the present day,” Danylenko stated. The mansion was designed by a designer of Central European origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity display analogous art nouveau features, including a lack of symmetry – with a medieval spire on one side and a turret on the other. One popular house in the area features two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Several Threats to Heritage

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who knock down listed buildings, corrupt officials and a administrative body apathetic or hostile to the city’s rich architectural history. The harsh winter climate adds another difficulty.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We lack real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s mayor was friends with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov added 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 civically minded activists who once protected older properties were now serving in the military or had been lost. The protracted conflict meant that the entire society was facing financial problems, he added, including those in the legal system who mysteriously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see deterioration of our society and state bodies,” he argued.

Demolition and Disregard

One notorious demolition site is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had pledged to preserve its charming brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the onset of major hostilities, heavy machinery tore it down. Recently, a crane prepared 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 coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers destroyed old properties while stating they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A 20th-century empire also caused immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its primary street after the second world war so it could facilitate large-scale parades.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most prominent defenders of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was lost his life in 2022 while fighting in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his vital preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s successful entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their original doors survived, she said.

“It was not aerial bombardments that got rid of them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now nothing will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a full of character creeper-covered house built in 1910, which acts as the headquarters of her cultural organization and also serves as a film set and museum. The property has a new crimson entrance and original-style railings; inside is a period bathroom 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 resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “incredibly atmospheric and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not value the past? “Sadly they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are trying as a country to go to the west. But we are still some distance away from that standard,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking remained, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Hope in Preservation

Some buildings are collapsing because of institutional abandonment. Chudna showed a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons made their home among its broken windows; debris lay under a fairytale tower. “Frequently we lose the battle,” she admitted. “This activity is a form of healing for us. We are striving to save all this history and beauty.”

In the face of destruction and development pressures, these activists continue their work, one facade at a time, stating that to save a city’s soul, you must first save its history.