Preserving the Capital's Heritage: An Urban Center Reconstructing Its Foundations Under the Threat of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her recently completed front door. The restoration team had affectionately dubbed its graceful transom window the “croissant”, a playful reference to its arched shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a showy bird,” she commented, admiring its tree limb-inspired ornamentation. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who celebrated with a couple of neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of defiance against a neighboring state, she explained: “We are trying to live like ordinary people despite the war. It’s about shaping our life in the best possible way. Fear does not drive us of remaining in Ukraine. I had the option to depart, moving away to Italy. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance represents our dedication to our homeland.”

“Our aim is to live like normal people regardless of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the most positive way.”

Protecting Kyiv’s architectural heritage seems unusual at a period when drone attacks routinely fall the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, bombing campaigns have been significantly intensified. After each assault, workers seal broken windows with plywood and try, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Amid the Conflict, a Fight for Identity

Amid the bombs, a group of activists has been working to preserve the city’s crumbling mansions, built in a distinctive style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the downtown Shevchenkivskyi district. It was erected in 1906 and was originally 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 uncommon in the present day,” Danylenko said. The building was designed by a designer of Central European origin. Several other buildings close by exhibit comparable art nouveau characteristics, including asymmetry – with a gothic tower on one side and a projection on the other. One beloved house in the area features two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Several Challenges to History

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who knock down listed buildings, unethical officials and a political leadership apathetic or hostile to the city’s vast architectural history. The severe winter climate adds another difficulty.

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

Perov said many of the public-spirited activists who once defended older properties were now serving in the military or had been lost. The lengthy conflict meant that everyone was facing financial problems, he added, including those in the legal system who mysteriously ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see degradation of our society and state bodies,” he contended.

Destruction and Neglect

One notorious location of loss is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had agreed to preserve its charming brick facade. A day after the full-scale invasion, diggers tore it down. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new commercial complex, monitored by a unfriendly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was little optimism for the remaining coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled old properties while claiming they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A 20th-century empire also wrought immense damage on the capital, rebuilding its central boulevard after the second world war so it could accommodate military vehicles.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most prominent defenders of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was killed in 2022 while serving in a eastern city. 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 successful industrialists. Only 80 of their period doors survived, she said.

“It wasn’t foreign rockets that destroyed them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now nothing will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful 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 original-style railings; inside is a period bathroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could go on for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now nothing will be left.”

The building’s occupant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “incredibly atmospheric and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not cherish the past? “Sadly they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are trying as a country to move towards the west. But we are still some distance away from civilization,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking lingered, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Hope in Restoration

Some buildings are crumbling because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna showed a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons roosted among its smashed windows; rubbish lay under a storybook tower. “Many times we don’t win,” she acknowledged. “This activity is a coping mechanism for us. We are trying to save all this heritage and aesthetic value.”

In the face of war and commercial interests, these volunteers continue their work, one door at a time, stating that to preserve a city’s heart, you must first protect its walls.