Safeguarding the Capital's Heritage: A City Reconstructing Itself Amidst the Onslaught of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her newly installed front door. Volunteers had playfully nicknamed its graceful transom window the “pastry”, a lighthearted tribute to its bowed shape. “I think it’s more of a peafowl,” she commented, gazing at its tree limb-inspired ornamentation. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who marked the occasion with two impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an act of resistance in the face of a neighboring state, she elaborated: “We strive to live like everyday people in spite of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the best possible way. We have no fear of staying in our homeland. I had the option to depart, starting anew to a foreign land. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance shows our commitment to our homeland.”

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

Safeguarding Kyiv’s historic buildings could be considered unusual at a time when missile strikes frequently hit the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, aerial raids have been significantly intensified. After each strike, workers board up broken windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Among the Conflict, a Fight for Identity

Despite the violence, a collective of activists has been working 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 erected in 1906 and was first the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its outer walls is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare today,” Danylenko said. The mansion was designed by a designer of Central European origin. Several other buildings close by showcase similar art nouveau elements, including a lack of symmetry – with a medieval spire on one side and a projection on the other. One much-loved house in the area features two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Multiple Dangers to History

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who raze listed buildings, corrupt officials and a governing class apathetic or hostile to the city’s rich architectural history. The harsh winter climate presents another difficulty.

“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 mayor was friends with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov stated that the plan for the capital is reminiscent of a previous decade. The mayor rejects these claims, stating they come from political rivals.

Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once protected older properties were now serving in the military or had been lost. The protracted conflict meant that all citizens was facing economic hardship, he added, including judicial figures who mysteriously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see deterioration of our society and governing institutions,” he remarked.

Loss and Abandonment

One glaring location of loss is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had committed to preserve its attractive brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the onset of major hostilities, excavators tore it down. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new commercial complex, observed by a stern security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was faint chance for the remaining blue-green houses on the site. Sometimes developers destroyed old properties while stating they were doing “archaeological research”, he said. A former political system also caused immense damage on the capital, redesigning its central boulevard after the second world war so it could accommodate military vehicles.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most notable champions of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was killed in 2022 while fighting in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were continuing his crucial preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s successful business magnates. Only 80 of their authentic doors remain, she said.

“It wasn’t external attacks that destroyed them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now nothing will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful vine-clad house built in 1910, which serves as the headquarters of her cultural organization and operates as a film set and museum. The property has a new crimson entrance and authentic railings; inside is a historic washroom and antique mirrors.

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

The building’s occupant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not cherish the past? “Unfortunately they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are trying as a country to go to 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 urban environment, he added.

Resilience in Restoration

Some buildings are falling apart because of institutional abandonment. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons nested among its smashed windows; refuse lay under a fairytale tower. “Frequently we are unsuccessful,” she acknowledged. “Preservation work is a coping mechanism for us. We are trying to save all this heritage and beauty.”

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