Protecting Kyiv's Heritage: An Urban Center Rebuilding Itself Amidst the Onslaught of War.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her newly installed front door. The restoration team had playfully nicknamed its elegant transom window the “crescent roll”, a lighthearted tribute to its arched shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a peafowl,” she remarked, appreciating its branch-like details. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who marked the occasion with two lively pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of resistance in the face of an invading force, she clarified: “Our aim is to live like normal people despite the war. It’s about organizing our life in the most positive way. We’re not afraid of living in Ukraine. The possibility to emigrate existed, starting anew to a foreign land. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance represents our allegiance to our homeland.”

“We strive to live like everyday people regardless of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the best possible way.”

Preserving Kyiv’s built legacy could be considered strange at a time when aerial assaults frequently hit the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, offensive operations have been notably increased. After each assault, workers board up shattered windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Amid the Conflict, a Battle for Identity

Amid the bombs, a collective of activists has been working to save the city’s decaying mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the historic Shevchenkivskyi district. It was erected 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 quite rare nowadays,” Danylenko stated. The building was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings nearby exhibit similar art nouveau features, including a lack of symmetry – with a gothic tower on one side and a turret on the other. One beloved house in the area features two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Dual Threats to History

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who demolish protected buildings, dishonest officials and a governing class apathetic or hostile to the city’s rich architectural history. The severe winter climate presents another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We are missing real 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 concept for the capital is reminiscent of a bygone era. The mayor rejects these claims, saying they originate from political rivals.

Perov said many of the community-oriented activists who once protected older properties were now fighting on the frontline or had been fallen. The ongoing conflict meant that the entire society was facing monetary strain, he added, including those in the legal system who curiously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see degradation of our society and state bodies,” he remarked.

Loss and Abandonment

One egregious demolition site is in the riverside 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. In the immediate aftermath of the onset of major hostilities, excavators demolished it. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new retail and office development, observed by a stern security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was faint chance for the remaining blue-green houses on the site. Sometimes developers demolished old properties while stating they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A previous regime also wrought immense damage on the capital, redesigning its central boulevard after the second world war so it could allow for military vehicles.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most prominent defenders of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was lost his life in 2022 while serving in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his vital preservation work. There were initially 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s successful entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their period doors are still in existence, she said.

“It was not aerial bombardments that got rid of them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now little will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique ivy-draped house built in 1910, which functions as the headquarters of her cultural organization and operates as a film set and museum. The property has a new red door and original-style railings; inside is a period bathroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could continue for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now nothing will be left.”

The building’s occupant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not cherish the past? “Unfortunately they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are trying as a country to integrate with the west. But we are still some distance away from that standard,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking lingered, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Resilience in Action

Some buildings are falling apart because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons made their home among its shattered windows; refuse lay under a fairytale tower. “Frequently we are unsuccessful,” she conceded. “Preservation work is a form of healing for us. We are attempting to save all this history and splendour.”

In the face of conflict and development pressures, these citizens continue their work, one door at a time, arguing that to save a city’s identity, you must first cherish its stones.