Protecting Kyiv's Heritage: A City Reconstructing Itself Under the Threat of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her newly installed front door. The restoration team had affectionately dubbed its graceful transom window the “pastry”, a lighthearted tribute to its curved shape. “I think it’s more of a showy bird,” she stated, admiring its tree limb-inspired ornamentation. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who marked the occasion with several impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an expression of resistance towards a foreign power, she clarified: “Our aim is to live like ordinary people despite the war. It’s about shaping our life in the best possible way. We have no fear of staying in Ukraine. The possibility to emigrate existed, relocating to a foreign land. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance represents our dedication to our homeland.”

“We strive to live like normal people regardless of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the most positive way.”

Safeguarding Kyiv’s historic buildings could be considered paradoxical at a moment when aerial assaults frequently hit the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, offensive operations have been dramatically stepped up. After each assault, workers seal blown-out windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Among the Bombs, a Campaign for Beauty

In the midst of war, a group of activists has been striving to preserve the city’s decaying 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 first the home of a affluent fur dealer. Its facade is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon in the present day,” Danylenko noted. The building was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings close by display similar art nouveau features, including an irregular shape – with a gothic tower on one side and a projection on the other. One beloved house in the area features two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Dual Threats to Legacy

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who raze historically significant buildings, corrupt officials and a governing class indifferent or hostile to the city’s profound architectural history. The harsh winter climate adds another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We don’t have 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 destroy important houses. Perov further alleged that the concept for the capital is reminiscent of a bygone era. The mayor denies 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 lost. 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 degradation of our society and governing institutions,” he contended.

Destruction and Abandonment

One glaring example of destruction is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had committed to preserve its charming brick facade. A day after the 2022 invasion, excavators tore it down. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new shopping and business centre, watched by a surly security guard.

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

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most renowned advocates of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was fell in 2022 while engaged in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his important preservation work. There were initially 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s successful entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their original doors survived, she said.

“It wasn’t foreign rockets that got rid of them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now not a thing will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a full of character vine-clad house built in 1910, which serves 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 vintage sanitary facility and antique mirrors.

“The war could go on for another 20 years. If we neglect 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 lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are striving as a country to integrate with the west. But we are still not yet close from civilization,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking lingered, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Resilience in Restoration

Some buildings are crumbling because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna showed a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons nested among its broken windows; rubbish lay under a whimsical tower. “Many times we don’t win,” she conceded. “This activity is a coping mechanism for us. We are striving to save all this past and splendour.”

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