Preserving the Capital's Heritage: An Urban Center Reconstructing Its Foundations Amidst the Onslaught of War.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her freshly fitted front door. Local helpers had given the moniker its elegant transom window the “pastry”, a playful reference to its bowed shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a peacock,” she stated, admiring its branch-like ornamentation. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who marked the occasion with two lively pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of defiance in the face of a neighboring state, she clarified: “Our aim is to live like normal people regardless of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the best possible way. We have no fear of remaining in Ukraine. I could have left, starting anew to another European nation. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance shows our allegiance to our homeland.”

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

Preserving Kyiv’s built legacy seems unusual at a moment when drone attacks frequently hit the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, aerial raids have been notably increased. After each attack, workers cover broken windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Within the Bombs, a Fight for History

In the midst of war, a band of activists has been working to conserve the city’s crumbling mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the central Shevchenkivskyi district. It was constructed in 1906 and was first the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its exterior is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon nowadays,” Danylenko noted. The residence was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity display analogous art nouveau characteristics, including asymmetry – with a gothic tower on one side and a turret on the other. One popular house in the area displays two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Multiple Challenges to Heritage

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who raze historically significant buildings, dishonest officials and a political leadership unconcerned or resistant to the city’s rich architectural history. The bitter winter climate presents another challenge.

“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 mayor was allied with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov added that the vision for the capital comes straight out of a previous decade. The mayor denies these claims, attributing them from political rivals.

Perov said many of the public-spirited activists who once protected older properties were now engaged in combat or had been killed. The lengthy conflict meant that the entire society was facing monetary strain, he added, including judicial figures who mysteriously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see deterioration of our society and public institutions,” he contended.

Loss and Abandonment

One egregious 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 pledged to preserve its picturesque brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the full-scale invasion, diggers razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new retail and office development, observed by a stern security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was little optimism for the remaining coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers destroyed old properties while asserting they were doing “archaeological research”, he said. A 20th-century empire also caused immense damage on the capital, rebuilding its central boulevard after the second world war so it could accommodate large-scale parades.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most notable advocates of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was killed in 2022 while serving in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his important preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s wealthy entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their original doors are still in existence, she said.

“It wasn’t external attacks that got rid of them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now nothing will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a full of character vine-clad 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 vermilion portal and original-style railings; inside is a vintage sanitary facility and antique mirrors.

“The war could go on for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now little will be left.”

The building’s tenant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “incredibly atmospheric and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens not cherish the past? “Sadly they do not have education and taste. It’s all about business. We are trying as a country to move towards the west. But we are still a way off from civilization,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking lingered, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Hope in Preservation

Some buildings are falling apart because of official neglect. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons nested among its shattered windows; refuse lay under a whimsical tower. “Often we lose the battle,” she acknowledged. “This activity is a coping mechanism for us. We are striving to save all this past and splendour.”

In the face of conflict and development pressures, these activists continue their work, one door at a time, stating that to save a city’s identity, you must first protect its history.