Preserving the Capital's Heritage: An Urban Center Rebuilding Its Foundations in the Shadow of War.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her recently completed front door. The restoration team had playfully nicknamed its elegant transom window the “crescent roll”, a whimsical nod to its arched shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a showy bird,” she remarked, gazing at its tree limb-inspired details. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who marked the occasion with two lively pavement parties.

It was also an expression of opposition against a foreign power, she explained: “We are trying to live like normal people in spite of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the most positive way. We’re not afraid of remaining in our homeland. The possibility to emigrate existed, moving away to a foreign land. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance shows our allegiance to our homeland.”

“Our aim is to live like everyday people regardless of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the most positive way.”

Protecting Kyiv’s architectural heritage could be considered strange at a time when missile strikes routinely fall the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, offensive operations have been significantly intensified. After each assault, workers seal shattered windows with plywood and try, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Within the Explosions, a Battle for History

In the midst of war, a group of activists has been striving to save the city’s crumbling mansions, built in a distinctive style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the central Shevchenkivskyi district. It was erected in 1906 and was initially the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its exterior is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce in the present day,” Danylenko said. The building was designed by a designer of Central European origin. Several other buildings close by display analogous art nouveau elements, including a lack of symmetry – with a gothic tower on one side and a turret on the other. One much-loved house in the area displays two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Multiple Challenges to History

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who raze historically significant buildings, unethical officials and a governing class apathetic or hostile to the city’s vast architectural history. The severe winter climate adds another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where money wins. We are missing real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s leadership was friends with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov added that the concept for the capital comes straight out of 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 engaged in combat or had been killed. The protracted conflict meant that the entire society was facing financial problems, he added, including judicial figures who mysteriously ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see decline of our society and governing institutions,” he contended.

Destruction and Neglect

One glaring example of destruction is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had pledged to preserve its picturesque brick facade. Shortly following the 2022 invasion, diggers razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new retail and office development, watched by a unfriendly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was faint chance for the remaining coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers destroyed old properties while claiming they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A 20th-century empire also wrought immense damage on the capital, redesigning its central boulevard after the second world war so it could accommodate official processions.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most renowned champions of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was killed in 2022 while engaged in the frontline. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his crucial preservation work. There were initially 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s successful industrialists. Only 80 of their period doors are still in existence, she said.

“It was not external attacks that destroyed them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now not a thing will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful creeper-covered house built in 1910, which acts as the headquarters of her cultural organization and also serves as a film set and museum. The property has a new vermilion portal and original-style railings; inside is a period bathroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could go on for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now little will be left.”

The building’s resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “very cool and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not cherish the past? “Sadly they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are trying as a country to move towards the west. But we are still some distance away from that standard,” he said. Previous ways of thinking remained, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Therapy in Preservation

Some buildings are crumbling because of institutional abandonment. Chudna showed a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons nested among its broken windows; rubbish lay under a whimsical tower. “Often we are unsuccessful,” she acknowledged. “This activity is a coping mechanism for us. We are attempting to save all this past and beauty.”

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