Protecting the Capital's Heritage: An Urban Center Rebuilding Its Foundations in the Shadow of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her freshly fitted front door. Local helpers had affectionately dubbed its ornate transom window the “crescent roll”, a whimsical nod to its curved shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a peafowl,” she stated, appreciating its tree limb-inspired ornamentation. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who commemorated the work with a couple of neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an act of defiance in the face of a foreign power, she clarified: “Our aim is to live like ordinary people regardless of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the most positive way. We’re not afraid of staying in our country. I had the option to depart, relocating to a foreign land. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our allegiance to our homeland.”

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

Protecting Kyiv’s built legacy may appear paradoxical at a time when drone attacks frequently hit the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, offensive operations have been notably increased. After each attack, workers cover shattered windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Within the Bombs, a Campaign for Beauty

Despite the violence, a band of activists has been attempting to preserve the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the historic Shevchenkivskyi district. It was constructed in 1906 and was first the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its facade is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare in the present day,” Danylenko noted. The residence was designed by a designer of Central European origin. Several other buildings close by showcase analogous art nouveau elements, including a lack of symmetry – with a gothic tower on one side and a small tower on the other. One popular house in the area boasts two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Dual Challenges to Legacy

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who raze listed buildings, unethical officials and a governing class indifferent or resistant to the city’s profound architectural history. The severe winter climate adds another difficulty.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We lack genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He alleged the city’s mayor was allied with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov added that the plan for the capital is reminiscent of a bygone era. The mayor rejects these claims, attributing them from political rivals.

Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once championed older properties were now serving in the military or had been fallen. The protracted conflict meant that everyone was facing economic hardship, he added, including judicial figures who curiously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see deterioration of our society and state bodies,” he remarked.

Destruction and Abandonment

One glaring location of loss is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had pledged to preserve its attractive brick facade. A day after the onset of major hostilities, heavy machinery demolished it. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new commercial complex, watched by a surly 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 asserting they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A previous regime also inflicted immense damage on the capital, rebuilding its primary street after the second world war so it could accommodate large-scale parades.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most renowned champions of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was lost his life in 2022 while serving in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his crucial preservation work. There were initially 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s wealthy business magnates. Only 80 of their original doors survived, she said.

“It wasn’t aerial bombardments that got rid of them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now little will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful 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 vermilion portal and period-correct railings; inside is a historic washroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could last another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now nothing will be left.”

The building’s resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “incredibly atmospheric and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not appreciate 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 not yet close from such cultural awareness,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking remained, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Hope in Action

Some buildings are falling apart because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons nested among its smashed windows; rubbish lay under a fairytale tower. “Many times we lose the battle,” she conceded. “Preservation work is a form of healing for us. We are striving to save all this past and aesthetic value.”

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