Safeguarding Kyiv's Heritage: An Urban Center Reconstructing Itself Amidst the Onslaught of War.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her recently completed front door. Local helpers had playfully nicknamed its graceful transom window the “croissant”, a playful reference to its curved shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a peacock,” she remarked, gazing at its tree limb-inspired features. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who commemorated the work with two impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an act of opposition in the face of an invading force, she clarified: “Our aim is to live like ordinary people in spite of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the most positive way. We have no fear of living in our country. The possibility to emigrate existed, relocating to a foreign land. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance shows our allegiance to our homeland.”

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

Safeguarding Kyiv’s architectural heritage seems unusual at a time when aerial assaults routinely fall the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, bombing campaigns have been dramatically stepped up. After each strike, workers board up shattered windows with plywood and try, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Among the Bombs, a Fight for History

In the midst of war, a collective of activists has been striving to conserve the city’s decaying mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the downtown Shevchenkivskyi district. It was constructed in 1906 and was first the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its exterior is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce in the present day,” Danylenko noted. The mansion was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity display comparable art nouveau features, including a lack of symmetry – with a gothic tower on one side and a turret on the other. One beloved house in the area features two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Several Threats to History

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who demolish protected buildings, unethical officials and a governing class unconcerned or resistant to the city’s vast architectural history. The bitter winter climate presents another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where money wins. We lack genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s mayor was friends with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov stated that the vision for the capital comes straight out 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 protected older properties were now serving in the military or had been fallen. The lengthy conflict meant that everyone was facing monetary strain, he added, including those in the legal system who curiously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see degradation of our society and public institutions,” he remarked.

Loss and Abandonment

One egregious example of destruction is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had agreed to preserve its picturesque brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the onset of major hostilities, diggers demolished it. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new shopping and business centre, monitored by a surly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was faint chance for the remaining turquoise-painted houses on the site. Sometimes developers destroyed old properties while claiming they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A previous regime also inflicted immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could accommodate large-scale parades.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most notable champions of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was killed in 2022 while serving in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were continuing his vital preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s successful industrialists. Only 80 of their period doors survived, she said.

“It was not external attacks that destroyed them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now little will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful 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 red door and authentic railings; inside is a historic washroom and antique mirrors.

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

The building’s resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens not value the past? “Sadly they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are attempting as a country to move towards the west. But we are still some distance away from that standard,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking remained, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Hope in Restoration

Some buildings are crumbling because of institutional abandonment. Chudna showed a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons roosted among its broken windows; debris lay under a fairytale tower. “Many times we are unsuccessful,” she admitted. “This activity is a coping mechanism for us. We are attempting to save all this history and aesthetic value.”

In the face of conflict and neglect, these citizens continue their work, one door at a time, believing that to rebuild a city’s identity, you must first protect its history.