Protecting Kyiv's Heritage: An Urban Center Reconstructing Itself Amidst the Onslaught of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her newly installed front door. The restoration team had affectionately dubbed its ornate transom window the “pastry”, a whimsical nod to its bowed shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a peacock,” she stated, admiring its tree limb-inspired features. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who commemorated the work with a couple of lively pavement parties.

It was also an expression of resistance in the face of an invading force, she elaborated: “We are trying to live like everyday people in spite of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the optimal way. Fear does not drive us of remaining in our country. The possibility to emigrate existed, moving away to a foreign land. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our commitment to our homeland.”

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

Protecting Kyiv’s architectural heritage may appear paradoxical at a time when aerial assaults routinely fall the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, aerial raids have been significantly intensified. After each strike, workers cover shattered windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Amid the Conflict, a Campaign for History

Amid the bombs, a group of activists has been working to preserve the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the central Shevchenkivskyi district. It was built in 1906 and was first the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its exterior is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare in the present day,” Danylenko said. The residence was designed by a designer of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings close by showcase analogous art nouveau elements, including a lack of symmetry – with a pointed turret on one side and a projection on the other. One popular house in the area features two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Dual Threats to Legacy

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who raze listed buildings, corrupt officials and a governing class unconcerned or resistant to the city’s vast architectural history. The harsh winter climate adds another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We lack genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s mayor was closely associated with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov stated that the concept for the capital is reminiscent of a bygone era. The mayor rejects these claims, attributing them from political rivals.

Perov said many of the public-spirited activists who once protected older properties were now fighting on the frontline or had been killed. The protracted conflict meant that the entire society was facing financial problems, he added, including those in the legal system who inexplicably ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see degradation of our society and public institutions,” he argued.

Demolition and Disregard

One glaring location of loss is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had committed to preserve its attractive brick facade. A day after the 2022 invasion, heavy machinery razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new shopping and business centre, observed by a unfriendly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was faint chance for the remaining blue-green houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled old properties while stating they were doing “archaeological research”, he said. A 20th-century empire also inflicted immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its primary street after the second world war so it could allow for official processions.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most prominent advocates of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was fell in 2022 while engaged in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his crucial preservation work. There were originally 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s successful industrialists. Only 80 of their original doors are still in existence, she said.

“It wasn’t foreign rockets that eliminated them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “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 operates as a film set and museum. The property has a new vermilion portal and authentic railings; inside is a period bathroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could last another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now not a thing will be left.”

The building’s tenant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens not appreciate the past? “Sadly they are without education and taste. It’s all about business. We are striving as a country to go to the west. But we are still not yet close from civilization,” he said. Previous ways of thinking remained, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Hope in Action

Some buildings are falling apart because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna showed a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons roosted among its broken windows; debris lay under a storybook tower. “Frequently we lose the battle,” she acknowledged. “This activity is therapy for us. We are striving to save all this past and aesthetic value.”

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