Preserving Kyiv's Heritage: A City Rebuilding Its Foundations in the Shadow of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her freshly fitted front door. Local helpers had given the moniker its graceful transom window the “pastry”, a lighthearted tribute to its curved shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a peafowl,” she stated, appreciating its twig-detailed ornamentation. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who celebrated with two neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an act of defiance towards an invading force, she explained: “We are trying to live like ordinary people despite the war. It’s about arranging our life in the optimal way. Fear does not drive us of living in our homeland. I had the option to depart, relocating to another European nation. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance shows our dedication to our homeland.”

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

Preserving Kyiv’s architectural heritage may appear unusual at a period when missile strikes frequently hit the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, offensive operations have been significantly intensified. After each assault, workers cover broken windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Among the Explosions, a Battle for Beauty

Despite the violence, a collective of activists has been attempting to conserve the city’s deteriorating 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 embellished with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare today,” Danylenko noted. The mansion was designed by a designer of Central European origin. Several other buildings nearby display analogous art nouveau features, including a lack of symmetry – with a gothic tower on one side and a projection on the other. One much-loved house in the area boasts two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Several Dangers to Heritage

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who raze historically significant buildings, corrupt officials and a administrative body indifferent or resistant to the city’s rich architectural history. The bitter winter climate presents another difficulty.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We are missing real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s leadership was friends with many of the developers who flatten important houses. Perov further alleged that the concept for the capital harks back to a previous decade. The mayor has refuted these claims, saying they originate from political rivals.

Perov said many of the public-spirited activists who once protected older properties were now serving in the military or had been killed. The protracted conflict meant that the entire society was facing monetary strain, he added, including judicial figures who inexplicably ruled in favour of dubious new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see degradation of our society and governing institutions,” he remarked.

Destruction and Abandonment

One glaring demolition site is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had pledged to preserve its picturesque brick facade. A day after the onset of major hostilities, diggers razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new commercial complex, observed by a stern security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was little optimism for the remaining coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled old properties while stating they were doing “archaeological research”, 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.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most prominent defenders of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was killed in 2022 while fighting in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were continuing his important preservation work. There were initially 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s prosperous industrialists. Only 80 of their period doors survived, she said.

“It was not external attacks that got rid of them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could last another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now nothing will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a full of character 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 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 nothing will be left.”

The building’s tenant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “incredibly atmospheric and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not value the past? “Regrettably they do not have education and taste. It’s all about business. We are attempting as a country to integrate with the west. But we are still some distance away from that standard,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking persisted, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Therapy in Restoration

Some buildings are falling apart because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna showed a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons made their home among its shattered windows; refuse lay under a storybook tower. “Many times we lose the battle,” she conceded. “Preservation work is a coping mechanism for us. We are striving to save all this past and splendour.”

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