Preserving the Capital's Heritage: A City Reconstructing Its Foundations Amidst the Onslaught of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her recently completed front door. Volunteers had affectionately dubbed its graceful transom window the “crescent roll”, a playful reference to its curved shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a peacock,” she remarked, gazing at its branch-like ornamentation. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who marked the occasion with two lively pavement parties.

It was also an expression of resistance in the face of a foreign power, she elaborated: “We are trying to live like everyday people in spite of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the best possible way. Fear does not drive us of living in Ukraine. I could have left, starting anew to a foreign land. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance represents our allegiance to our homeland.”

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

Protecting Kyiv’s architectural heritage may appear unusual at a moment when aerial assaults regularly target the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, aerial raids have been significantly intensified. After each assault, workers seal broken windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Amid the Conflict, a Battle for History

Amid the bombs, a band of activists has been attempting to preserve the city’s decaying mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the central Shevchenkivskyi district. It was constructed in 1906 and was first the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its facade is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce in the present day,” Danylenko noted. The residence was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings close by exhibit analogous art nouveau features, including asymmetry – with a gothic tower on one side and a small tower on the other. One popular house in the area displays two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Dual Threats to Heritage

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who demolish protected buildings, unethical officials and a political leadership indifferent or resistant to the city’s profound architectural history. The harsh winter climate imposes another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where money wins. We don’t have 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 flatten important houses. Perov added that the vision for the capital comes straight out of a different time. The mayor denies these claims, saying they originate from political rivals.

Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once championed older properties were now serving in the military or had been fallen. The lengthy conflict meant that all citizens was facing monetary strain, he added, including judicial figures who mysteriously ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see deterioration of our society and public institutions,” he contended.

Loss and Neglect

One glaring example of destruction is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had pledged to preserve its charming brick facade. Shortly following the full-scale invasion, heavy machinery tore it down. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new commercial complex, observed 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 asserting they were doing “scientific study”, 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 accommodate military vehicles.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most prominent champions of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was fell in 2022 while engaged in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his crucial preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s prosperous industrialists. Only 80 of their period doors survived, she said.

“It wasn’t foreign rockets that got rid of them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could last another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now little will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique vine-clad house built in 1910, which acts as the headquarters of her cultural organization and operates as a film set and museum. The property has a new vermilion portal and original-style railings; inside is a historic washroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could continue for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now nothing will be left.”

The building’s tenant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “very cool and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens not appreciate the past? “Sadly they do not have education and taste. It’s all about business. We are attempting as a country to move towards the west. But we are still not yet close from that standard,” he said. Previous ways of thinking persisted, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Therapy in Restoration

Some buildings are collapsing because of official neglect. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons made their home among its broken windows; rubbish lay under a storybook tower. “Frequently we don’t win,” she admitted. “This activity is a coping mechanism for us. We are trying to save all this heritage and splendour.”

In the face of conflict and neglect, these citizens continue their work, one door at a time, stating that to rebuild a city’s heart, you must first cherish its stones.