Safeguarding the Capital's Heritage: A City Rebuilding Itself Under the Threat of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her newly installed front door. Volunteers had playfully nicknamed its ornate transom window the “pastry”, a lighthearted tribute to its bowed shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a peafowl,” she commented, appreciating its tree limb-inspired ornamentation. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who celebrated with a couple of neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an expression of resistance against a foreign power, she clarified: “Our aim is to live like normal people despite the war. It’s about organizing our life in the most positive way. Fear does not drive us of staying in Ukraine. I had the option to depart, relocating to Italy. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our dedication to our homeland.”

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

Preserving Kyiv’s architectural heritage seems strange at a period when aerial assaults frequently hit the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, offensive operations have been significantly intensified. After each strike, workers cover shattered windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Within the Conflict, a Fight for History

In the midst of war, a band of activists has been attempting to conserve the city’s decaying mansions, built in a distinctive style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the downtown Shevchenkivskyi district. It was erected in 1906 and was initially the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its outer walls is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce nowadays,” Danylenko stated. The building was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings close by showcase similar art nouveau features, including a lack of symmetry – with a gothic tower on one side and a turret on the other. One popular house in the area features two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Several Dangers to History

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who knock down listed buildings, dishonest officials and a administrative body apathetic or resistant to the city’s rich architectural history. The severe winter climate adds another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where money wins. We lack substantive political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s leadership was closely associated with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov stated that the concept for the capital is reminiscent of a previous decade. The mayor denies these claims, stating they come from political rivals.

Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once championed older properties were now fighting on the frontline or had been lost. The ongoing conflict meant that all citizens was facing economic hardship, he added, including those in the legal system who curiously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see decline of our society and public institutions,” he contended.

Demolition and Neglect

One glaring demolition site is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had pledged to preserve its attractive brick facade. Shortly following the 2022 invasion, excavators tore it down. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new retail and office development, observed by a unfriendly 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 claiming they were doing “archaeological research”, he said. A former political system also caused immense damage on the capital, rebuilding its central boulevard after the second world war so it could facilitate official processions.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most prominent champions of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was lost his life in 2022 while engaged in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his vital preservation work. There were originally 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s prosperous entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their original doors are still in existence, she said.

“It wasn’t aerial bombardments that got rid of them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could last another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now little will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique ivy-draped 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 crimson entrance and original-style railings; inside is a vintage sanitary facility and antique mirrors.

“The war could continue for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now little will be left.”

The building’s resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not value the past? “Regrettably they are without education and taste. It’s all about business. We are attempting as a country to go to the west. But we are still not yet close from civilization,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking persisted, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Hope in Restoration

Some buildings are collapsing because of institutional abandonment. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons roosted among its broken windows; debris lay under a fairytale tower. “Often we are unsuccessful,” she conceded. “Preservation work is therapy for us. We are trying to save all this heritage and aesthetic value.”

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