Preserving Kyiv's Heritage: An Urban Center Rebuilding Itself Under the Threat of War.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her recently completed front door. The restoration team had given the moniker its elegant transom window the “crescent roll”, a whimsical nod to its curved shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a peacock,” she remarked, appreciating its tree limb-inspired features. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who commemorated the work with several impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an expression of defiance towards a foreign power, she clarified: “We are trying to live like ordinary people despite the war. It’s about arranging our life in the best possible way. We have no fear of staying in our country. I had the option to depart, relocating to another European nation. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our commitment to our homeland.”

“Our aim is to live like everyday people in spite of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the optimal way.”

Protecting Kyiv’s built legacy may appear unusual at a time when aerial assaults frequently hit the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, offensive operations have been dramatically stepped up. After each attack, workers cover shattered windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Among the Bombs, a Battle for Identity

In the midst of war, a band of activists has been working to conserve the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a playful 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 affluent fur dealer. Its facade 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 a designer of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity showcase analogous art nouveau characteristics, including a lack of symmetry – with a gothic tower on one side and a small tower on the other. One beloved house in the area displays two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Several Dangers to Heritage

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who knock down protected buildings, dishonest officials and a political leadership indifferent or hostile to the city’s profound architectural history. The severe winter climate imposes another difficulty.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We are missing genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s mayor was friends with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov stated that the concept for the capital comes straight out of a bygone era. The mayor denies these claims, saying they originate from political rivals.

Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once defended older properties were now fighting on the frontline or had been lost. The lengthy conflict meant that everyone was facing economic hardship, he added, including judicial figures who inexplicably ruled in favour of dubious new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see degradation of our society and state bodies,” he contended.

Loss and Abandonment

One glaring location of loss is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had pledged to preserve its attractive brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the onset of major hostilities, heavy machinery demolished it. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new retail and office development, monitored by a stern security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was faint chance for the remaining turquoise-painted houses on the site. Sometimes developers destroyed old properties while asserting they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A 20th-century empire also caused immense damage on the capital, rebuilding its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could allow for military vehicles.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most notable champions of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was killed in 2022 while engaged in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his crucial preservation work. There were initially 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s successful entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their period doors are still in existence, she said.

“It wasn’t aerial bombardments that eliminated them. It was us,” she lamented. “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 ivy-draped house built in 1910, which acts as the headquarters of her cultural organization and doubles as a film set and museum. The property has a new crimson entrance and authentic 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 resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “incredibly atmospheric and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens not value the past? “Regrettably they are without education and taste. It’s all about business. We are striving as a country to integrate with the west. But we are still a way off from that standard,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking persisted, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Resilience in Action

Some buildings are collapsing because of official neglect. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons made their home among its broken windows; refuse lay under a fairytale tower. “Many times we lose the battle,” she conceded. “Preservation work is therapy for us. We are attempting to save all this past and splendour.”

In the face of destruction and neglect, these activists continue their work, one building at a time, believing that to preserve a city’s heart, you must first cherish its history.