Protecting the Capital's Heritage: An Urban Center Reconstructing Itself Amidst the Onslaught of War.

Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her recently completed front door. Local helpers had playfully nicknamed its ornate transom window the “croissant”, a lighthearted tribute to its bowed shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a peafowl,” she stated, gazing at its branch-like details. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who marked the occasion with several neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of opposition in the face of an invading force, she clarified: “We are trying to live like everyday people despite the war. It’s about organizing our life in the most positive way. We’re not afraid of living in Ukraine. I could have left, relocating to another European nation. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance shows our commitment to our homeland.”

“We strive to live like normal people despite the war. It’s about arranging our life in the most positive way.”

Safeguarding Kyiv’s historic buildings may appear unusual at a period when drone attacks frequently hit the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, bombing campaigns have been dramatically stepped up. After each strike, workers board up shattered windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Within the Conflict, a Campaign for Beauty

Amid the bombs, a collective of activists has been working 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 first the home of a affluent fur dealer. Its facade is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce nowadays,” Danylenko noted. The building was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings close by showcase comparable art nouveau elements, including an irregular shape – with a gothic tower on one side and a small tower on the other. One beloved house in the area boasts two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Several Challenges to Legacy

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who knock down historically significant buildings, unethical officials and a governing class indifferent or resistant to the city’s vast architectural history. The harsh winter climate imposes another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We don’t have substantive political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s leadership was friends with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov further alleged that the vision for the capital is reminiscent of a bygone era. The mayor rejects these claims, stating they come from political rivals.

Perov said many of the public-spirited activists who once defended older properties were now engaged in combat or had been fallen. The protracted conflict meant that everyone was facing economic hardship, he added, including judicial figures who mysteriously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see deterioration of our society and governing institutions,” he contended.

Demolition and Abandonment

One glaring location of loss is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had committed to preserve its charming brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the 2022 invasion, heavy machinery tore it down. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new retail and office development, monitored by a unfriendly 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 “scientific study”, he said. A previous regime also wrought immense damage on the capital, redesigning its primary street after the second world war so it could accommodate military vehicles.

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 carrying on his crucial preservation work. There were originally 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s successful entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their original doors survived, she said.

“It was not aerial bombardments that got rid of them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could last another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now little will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique vine-clad house built in 1910, which serves 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 go on for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now nothing will be left.”

The building’s resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “very cool and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens 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 a way off from civilization,” he said. Previous 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 official neglect. Chudna showed a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons made their home among its broken windows; debris lay under a storybook tower. “Many times we don’t win,” she acknowledged. “This activity is a coping mechanism for us. We are attempting to save all this past and beauty.”

In the face of conflict and commercial interests, these citizens continue their work, one door at a time, arguing that to rebuild a city’s soul, you must first save its stones.