Preserving Kyiv's Heritage: An Urban Center Rebuilding Its Foundations Amidst the Onslaught of War.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her newly installed front door. The restoration team had playfully nicknamed its graceful transom window the “croissant”, a lighthearted tribute to its arched shape. “I think it’s more of a peacock,” she commented, admiring its twig-detailed ornamentation. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who commemorated the work with a couple of impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of resistance towards a foreign power, she explained: “We strive to live like everyday people regardless of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the best possible way. We’re not afraid of living in Ukraine. I had the option to depart, relocating to a foreign land. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance represents our allegiance to our homeland.”

“Our aim is to live like ordinary people regardless of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the optimal way.”

Preserving Kyiv’s architectural heritage may appear paradoxical at a moment when drone attacks routinely fall the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, bombing campaigns have been significantly intensified. After each attack, workers cover blown-out windows with plywood and try, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Amid the Explosions, a Battle for History

Amid the bombs, a collective of activists has been working to save the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a playful style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the central Shevchenkivskyi district. It was constructed in 1906 and was first the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its outer walls is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon nowadays,” Danylenko said. The building was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings close by showcase analogous art nouveau features, including a lack of symmetry – with a pointed turret on one side and a turret on the other. One much-loved house in the area boasts two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Dual Threats to Legacy

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who knock down historically significant buildings, dishonest officials and a administrative body apathetic or opposed to the city’s rich architectural history. The severe winter climate imposes another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We lack substantive political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He alleged the city’s leadership was friends with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov added that the vision for the capital is reminiscent of a previous decade. The mayor has refuted these claims, attributing them from political rivals.

Perov said many of the community-oriented activists who once championed older properties were now engaged in combat or had been lost. The protracted conflict meant that everyone was facing monetary strain, he added, including those in the legal system who inexplicably ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see decline of our society and state bodies,” he argued.

Demolition and Disregard

One glaring demolition site is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had pledged to preserve its picturesque brick facade. A day after the full-scale invasion, diggers demolished it. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new commercial complex, watched by a stern security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was not much hope for the remaining blue-green houses on the site. Sometimes developers destroyed old properties while claiming they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A former political system also inflicted immense damage on the capital, rebuilding its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could accommodate official processions.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most renowned champions of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was killed in 2022 while engaged in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were continuing his vital preservation work. There were originally 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s prosperous industrialists. Only 80 of their period doors are still in existence, she said.

“It wasn’t external attacks that destroyed 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 emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique creeper-covered house built in 1910, which serves as the headquarters of her cultural organization and doubles as a film set and museum. The property has a new red door and original-style railings; inside is a period bathroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could continue for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now nothing will be left.”

The building’s occupant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens not cherish the past? “Regrettably they are without education and taste. It’s all about business. We are attempting as a country to move towards the west. But we are still some distance away from civilization,” he said. Previous ways of thinking persisted, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Therapy in Restoration

Some buildings are falling apart because of institutional abandonment. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons made their home among its shattered windows; rubbish lay under a fairytale tower. “Many times we lose the battle,” she admitted. “Restoration is therapy for us. We are striving to save all this heritage and aesthetic value.”

In the face of conflict and commercial interests, these activists continue their work, one building at a time, stating that to save a city’s heart, you must first protect its history.