Protecting the Capital's Heritage: A City Reconstructing Its Foundations in the Shadow of War.

Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her freshly fitted front door. Local helpers had given the moniker its ornate transom window the “croissant”, a playful reference to its bowed shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a showy bird,” she stated, gazing at its twig-detailed details. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who marked the occasion with several impromptu pavement parties.

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

“We are trying to live like everyday 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 moment when drone attacks frequently hit the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, bombing campaigns have been dramatically stepped up. After each strike, workers seal blown-out windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Amid the Conflict, a Fight for History

Amid the bombs, a collective of activists has been attempting to conserve the city’s crumbling mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the historic Shevchenkivskyi district. It was erected in 1906 and was originally the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its outer walls is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare today,” Danylenko said. The building was designed by a designer of Central European origin. Several other buildings close by exhibit comparable art nouveau characteristics, including an irregular shape – with a medieval spire 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 devil.

Several Threats to Heritage

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who knock down historically significant buildings, unethical officials and a political leadership unconcerned or resistant to the city’s profound architectural history. The severe winter climate adds another difficulty.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We lack substantive political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s leadership was allied with many of the developers who flatten important houses. Perov stated that the concept for the capital harks back to a bygone era. The mayor rejects these claims, stating they come from political rivals.

Perov said many of the public-spirited activists who once championed older properties were now serving in the military or had been killed. The lengthy conflict meant that all citizens was facing financial problems, he added, including judicial figures who inexplicably 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.

Loss and Neglect

One notorious location of loss is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had pledged to preserve its attractive brick facade. Shortly following the full-scale invasion, diggers demolished it. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new commercial complex, watched by a unfriendly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was faint chance for the remaining turquoise-painted houses on the site. Sometimes developers demolished old properties while stating they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A previous regime also caused immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its primary street after the second world war so it could facilitate official processions.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most renowned advocates of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was killed in 2022 while engaged in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his vital preservation work. There were originally 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s successful business magnates. Only 80 of their period doors survived, she said.

“It was not external attacks that got rid of them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could go on for 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 functions as the headquarters of her cultural organization and doubles as a film set and museum. The property has a new red door and original-style railings; inside is a vintage sanitary facility and antique mirrors.

“The war could continue for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now not a thing 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 appreciate the past? “Sadly they are without education and taste. It’s all about business. We are attempting as a country to go to the west. But we are still some distance away from civilization,” he said. Previous ways of thinking persisted, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Therapy in Preservation

Some buildings are collapsing because of institutional abandonment. Chudna showed a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons made their home among its smashed windows; rubbish lay under a whimsical tower. “Frequently we lose the battle,” she conceded. “This activity is therapy for us. We are striving to save all this history and splendour.”

In the face of war and development pressures, these volunteers continue their work, one building at a time, arguing that to rebuild a city’s heart, you must first protect its history.