Safeguarding the Capital's Heritage: An Urban Center Rebuilding Itself Under the Threat of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her recently completed front door. The restoration team had given the moniker its graceful transom window the “croissant”, a whimsical nod to its arched shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a peacock,” she stated, appreciating its twig-detailed ornamentation. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who celebrated with two lively pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of opposition towards a neighboring state, she explained: “We are trying to live like ordinary people despite the war. It’s about organizing our life in the optimal way. Fear does not drive us of living in our homeland. I had the option to depart, relocating to a foreign land. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance represents our commitment to our homeland.”

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

Preserving Kyiv’s architectural heritage may appear unusual at a time when aerial assaults frequently hit the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, aerial raids have been significantly intensified. After each strike, workers board up shattered windows with plywood and try, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Among the Bombs, a Fight for History

Amid the bombs, a band of activists has been working to preserve the city’s decaying mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the downtown Shevchenkivskyi district. It was built in 1906 and was originally the home of a affluent fur dealer. Its outer walls is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon today,” Danylenko stated. The residence was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings close by showcase similar art nouveau elements, including an irregular shape – with a gothic tower on one side and a small tower on the other. One popular house in the area features two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Several Threats to Legacy

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who knock down listed buildings, dishonest officials and a administrative body unconcerned or opposed to the city’s rich architectural history. The harsh winter climate presents another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We lack 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 bulldoze important houses. Perov added that the concept for the capital comes straight out of a different time. The mayor rejects these claims, stating they come from political rivals.

Perov said many of the public-spirited activists who once championed older properties were now fighting on the frontline or had been killed. The ongoing conflict meant that all citizens was facing financial problems, he added, including those in the legal system who inexplicably ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see decline of our society and state bodies,” he contended.

Demolition and Disregard

One egregious example of destruction is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had committed to preserve its picturesque brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the full-scale invasion, diggers demolished it. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new commercial complex, monitored by a surly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was little optimism for the remaining coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers destroyed old properties while stating they were doing “archaeological research”, he said. A 20th-century empire also inflicted immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could accommodate large-scale parades.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most prominent advocates of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was fell in 2022 while fighting in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his important preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s prosperous industrialists. Only 80 of their period doors are still in existence, she said.

“It wasn’t external attacks that got rid of them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now little will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a full of character creeper-covered 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 historic washroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could go on for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now little will be left.”

The building’s tenant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “very cool 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 a way off from such cultural awareness,” he said. Previous ways of thinking remained, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Resilience in Preservation

Some buildings are collapsing because of official neglect. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons roosted among its broken windows; refuse lay under a storybook tower. “Often we are unsuccessful,” she acknowledged. “Restoration is a form of healing for us. We are attempting to save all this past and splendour.”

In the face of conflict and neglect, these citizens continue their work, one door at a time, believing that to save a city’s soul, you must first cherish its walls.