Protecting the Capital's Heritage: A City Reconstructing Itself Amidst the Onslaught of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her newly installed front door. Local helpers had given the moniker its graceful transom window the “pastry”, a lighthearted tribute to its arched shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a peacock,” she remarked, appreciating its branch-like details. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who commemorated the work with several impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an act of resistance towards a foreign power, she clarified: “We are trying to live like normal people regardless of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the most positive way. We have no fear of living in Ukraine. I could have left, starting anew to Italy. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance represents our commitment to our homeland.”

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

Preserving Kyiv’s historic buildings seems paradoxical at a period when aerial assaults regularly target the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, aerial raids have been notably increased. After each assault, workers seal broken windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Among the Conflict, a Fight for Identity

In the midst of war, a group of activists has been striving to preserve the city’s crumbling mansions, built in a playful style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the historic Shevchenkivskyi district. It was built in 1906 and was initially the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its exterior is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

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

Multiple Challenges to Legacy

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who knock down listed buildings, dishonest officials and a political leadership indifferent or resistant to the city’s profound architectural history. The bitter winter climate presents another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We don’t have substantive political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He alleged the city’s mayor was closely associated with many of the developers who flatten important houses. Perov further alleged that the concept for the capital is reminiscent of a previous decade. The mayor denies these claims, saying they originate from political rivals.

Perov said many of the public-spirited activists who once protected older properties were now fighting on the frontline or had been killed. The protracted conflict meant that the entire society was facing financial problems, he added, including those in the legal system who curiously ruled in favour of dubious new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see deterioration of our society and governing institutions,” he argued.

Destruction and Disregard

One glaring location of loss is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had committed to preserve its picturesque brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the 2022 invasion, diggers razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new retail and office development, observed 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 claiming they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A 20th-century empire also inflicted immense damage on the capital, redesigning its primary street after the second world war so it could facilitate large-scale parades.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most notable defenders of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was fell in 2022 while serving in the frontline. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his important preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s prosperous entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their period doors are still in existence, she said.

“It wasn’t aerial bombardments 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 little will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique 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 red door 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 not a thing will be left.”

The building’s resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “incredibly atmospheric and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not cherish the past? “Sadly they do not have 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 such cultural awareness,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking lingered, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Therapy in Restoration

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 roosted among its smashed windows; rubbish lay under a storybook tower. “Frequently we lose the battle,” she conceded. “Restoration is a coping mechanism for us. We are trying to save all this heritage and splendour.”

In the face of destruction and neglect, these volunteers continue their work, one facade at a time, believing that to save a city’s heart, you must first save its walls.