Safeguarding the Capital's Heritage: A City Rebuilding Itself in the Shadow of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her newly installed front door. Volunteers had affectionately dubbed its graceful transom window the “croissant”, a whimsical nod to its curved shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a peafowl,” she commented, admiring its tree limb-inspired features. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who celebrated with a couple of impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of opposition in the face of a neighboring state, she explained: “Our aim is to live like ordinary people regardless of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the most positive way. Fear does not drive us of living in our country. I could have left, relocating to a foreign land. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our commitment to our homeland.”

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

Safeguarding Kyiv’s built legacy may appear paradoxical 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 attack, workers cover broken windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Within the Explosions, a Fight for History

Amid the bombs, a group of activists has been working to preserve the city’s crumbling mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the downtown Shevchenkivskyi district. It was built in 1906 and was first the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its exterior is embellished 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 residence was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings close by showcase similar art nouveau elements, including asymmetry – with a gothic tower on one side and a projection on the other. One much-loved house in the area features two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Multiple Dangers to Legacy

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who raze listed buildings, unethical officials and a political leadership unconcerned or opposed to the city’s profound architectural history. The harsh winter climate adds another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We are missing genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He alleged the city’s leadership was friends with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov stated that the plan for the capital is reminiscent of a bygone era. 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 engaged in combat or had been killed. The lengthy conflict meant that everyone was facing monetary strain, he added, including those in the legal system who mysteriously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see degradation of our society and state bodies,” he remarked.

Loss and Neglect

One egregious example of destruction is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had agreed to preserve its attractive brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the full-scale invasion, heavy machinery demolished it. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new retail and office development, observed 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 stating they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A former political system also caused immense damage on the capital, redesigning its primary street after the second world war so it could allow for official processions.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most prominent advocates of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was fell in 2022 while fighting in the frontline. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his important preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s prosperous business magnates. Only 80 of their authentic doors survived, she said.

“It wasn’t external attacks that eliminated them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now not a thing will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful ivy-draped house built in 1910, which functions as the headquarters of her cultural organization and doubles as a film set and museum. The property has a new vermilion portal and period-correct railings; inside is a vintage sanitary facility and antique mirrors.

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

The building’s resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “very cool and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not cherish the past? “Unfortunately they do not have education and taste. It’s all about business. We are attempting as a country to integrate with the west. But we are still some distance away from civilization,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking lingered, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Therapy in Preservation

Some buildings are falling apart because of official neglect. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons roosted among its shattered windows; rubbish lay under a storybook tower. “Often we lose the battle,” she acknowledged. “Restoration is therapy for us. We are trying to save all this past and beauty.”

In the face of war and commercial interests, these volunteers continue their work, one building at a time, stating that to rebuild a city’s soul, you must first cherish its walls.