Protecting the Capital's Heritage: An Urban Center Reconstructing Its Foundations Under the Threat of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her newly installed front door. The restoration team had playfully nicknamed its ornate transom window the “pastry”, a whimsical nod to its arched shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a peacock,” she commented, gazing at its branch-like features. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who celebrated with a couple of lively pavement parties.

It was also an expression of resistance in the face of an invading force, she clarified: “Our aim is to live like normal people in spite of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the optimal way. We have no fear of staying in our homeland. I had the option to depart, moving away to another European nation. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance represents our allegiance to our homeland.”

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

Protecting Kyiv’s built legacy may appear strange at a time when missile strikes frequently hit the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, aerial raids have been notably increased. After each assault, workers board up blown-out windows with plywood and try, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Amid the Explosions, a Battle for History

In the midst of war, a band of activists has been attempting to conserve 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 constructed in 1906 and was initially the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its outer walls is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare nowadays,” Danylenko noted. The residence was designed by a designer of Central European origin. Several other buildings nearby exhibit analogous art nouveau features, including a lack of symmetry – with a medieval spire on one side and a turret on the other. One popular house in the area displays two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Multiple Dangers to History

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who raze protected buildings, unethical officials and a governing class apathetic or hostile to the city’s rich architectural history. The harsh winter climate imposes another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We don’t have genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s mayor was closely associated with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov added that the plan for the capital harks back to a different time. The mayor rejects these claims, attributing them from political rivals.

Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once defended older properties were now engaged in combat or had been killed. The ongoing 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 goes on the more we see decline of our society and state bodies,” he contended.

Loss and Disregard

One notorious demolition site is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had agreed to preserve its charming brick facade. Shortly following the 2022 invasion, diggers tore it down. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new shopping and business centre, monitored by a unfriendly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was not much hope for the remaining coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled old properties while asserting they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A previous regime also wrought immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its central boulevard after the second world war so it could allow for large-scale parades.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most notable advocates of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was lost his life in 2022 while engaged in the frontline. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were continuing his vital preservation work. There were originally 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s wealthy business magnates. Only 80 of their original doors survived, she said.

“It wasn’t foreign rockets that got rid of them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now little will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique creeper-covered 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 last 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 “very cool and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens not appreciate the past? “Unfortunately they are without education and taste. It’s all about business. We are attempting as a country to move towards the west. But we are still not yet close from civilization,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking persisted, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, 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 collapsed; pigeons roosted among its shattered windows; rubbish lay under a whimsical tower. “Often we lose the battle,” she conceded. “Restoration is a form of healing for us. We are striving to save all this heritage and aesthetic value.”

In the face of destruction and neglect, these citizens continue their work, one door at a time, stating that to preserve a city’s identity, you must first cherish its walls.