Preserving Kyiv's Heritage: A City Rebuilding Its Foundations in the Shadow of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her recently completed front door. Volunteers had given the moniker its graceful transom window the “croissant”, a whimsical nod to its curved shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a peafowl,” she remarked, gazing at its tree limb-inspired ornamentation. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who marked the occasion with two impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an expression of opposition towards an invading force, she clarified: “We are trying to live like ordinary people regardless of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the optimal way. We have no fear of staying in our homeland. The possibility to emigrate existed, starting anew to Italy. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance shows our dedication to our homeland.”

“We are trying to live like ordinary people regardless of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the most positive way.”

Protecting Kyiv’s built legacy could be considered paradoxical at a time when aerial assaults routinely fall the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, bombing campaigns have been notably increased. After each attack, workers seal blown-out windows with plywood and try, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Amid the Explosions, a Fight for Beauty

In the midst of war, a group of activists has been striving to conserve the city’s deteriorating 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 stated. The mansion was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings close by exhibit analogous art nouveau elements, including a lack of symmetry – with a medieval spire on one side and a small tower on the other. One much-loved house in the area displays two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Several Threats to Heritage

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who knock down historically significant buildings, corrupt officials and a administrative body unconcerned or resistant to the city’s profound architectural history. The severe winter climate imposes another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We are missing real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s mayor was allied with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov stated that the plan for the capital harks back to a different time. The mayor rejects these claims, saying they originate 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 the entire society was facing economic hardship, he added, including judicial figures who mysteriously 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 contended.

Loss and Disregard

One glaring example of destruction is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had committed to preserve its charming brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the 2022 invasion, excavators demolished it. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new commercial complex, watched by a surly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was not much hope for the remaining blue-green houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled old properties while claiming they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A previous regime also caused immense damage on the capital, redesigning its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could facilitate large-scale parades.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most prominent champions of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was fell in 2022 while engaged in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were continuing his crucial preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s prosperous business magnates. Only 80 of their period doors are still in existence, she said.

“It wasn’t foreign rockets that eliminated them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could last another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now little will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a full of character creeper-covered 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 crimson entrance 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 not a thing will be left.”

The building’s occupant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens not cherish the past? “Regrettably 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 not yet close from such cultural awareness,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking lingered, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Resilience in Action

Some buildings are crumbling because of institutional abandonment. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons nested among its smashed windows; rubbish lay under a fairytale tower. “Often 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 destruction and neglect, these activists continue their work, one facade at a time, stating that to save a city’s heart, you must first save its walls.