Protecting the Capital's Heritage: A City Reconstructing Its Foundations in the Shadow of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her freshly fitted front door. The restoration team had affectionately dubbed its elegant transom window the “crescent roll”, a whimsical nod to its bowed shape. “I think it’s more of a showy bird,” she remarked, gazing at its tree limb-inspired details. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who marked the occasion with two neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of opposition towards a neighboring state, she clarified: “We strive to live like everyday people despite the war. It’s about shaping our life in the most positive way. We have no fear of remaining in our homeland. The possibility to emigrate existed, relocating to Italy. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance shows our allegiance to our homeland.”

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

Preserving Kyiv’s architectural heritage seems strange at a period when missile strikes routinely fall the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, aerial raids have been significantly intensified. After each attack, workers cover blown-out windows with plywood and try, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Amid the Bombs, a Battle for History

In the midst of war, a band of activists has been striving to save the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a playful style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the downtown Shevchenkivskyi district. It was built in 1906 and was initially the home of a affluent fur dealer. Its facade is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare nowadays,” Danylenko stated. The residence was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity exhibit comparable art nouveau features, including an irregular shape – with a pointed turret on one side and a small tower on the other. One beloved house in the area features two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Dual Threats to Legacy

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who raze listed buildings, dishonest officials and a administrative body apathetic or hostile to the city’s rich architectural history. The severe winter climate imposes another difficulty.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We don’t have genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s mayor was allied with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov stated that the plan for the capital is reminiscent of a different time. The mayor denies these claims, attributing them from political rivals.

Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once defended older properties were now engaged in combat or had been killed. The lengthy conflict meant that everyone was facing economic hardship, he added, including judicial figures who curiously ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see decline of our society and governing institutions,” he remarked.

Demolition and Neglect

One egregious location of loss is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had pledged to preserve its charming brick facade. A day after the full-scale invasion, excavators tore it down. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new retail and office development, watched by a stern security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was little optimism for the remaining blue-green houses on the site. Sometimes developers demolished old properties while stating they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A previous regime also caused immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its central boulevard after the second world war so it could accommodate military vehicles.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most renowned defenders of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was fell in 2022 while serving in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his vital preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s prosperous industrialists. Only 80 of their authentic doors remain, she said.

“It was not foreign rockets that got rid of them. It was us,” she lamented. “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 characterful ivy-draped house built in 1910, which functions as the headquarters of her cultural organization and also serves 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 don’t defend architecture now not a thing will be left.”

The building’s resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not cherish the past? “Sadly 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 a way off from that standard,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking lingered, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Therapy in Action

Some buildings are falling apart because of official neglect. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons made their home among its broken windows; rubbish lay under a fairytale tower. “Frequently we lose the battle,” she acknowledged. “Restoration is a form of healing for us. We are striving to save all this heritage and aesthetic value.”

In the face of conflict and development pressures, these activists continue their work, one building at a time, stating that to rebuild a city’s heart, you must first protect its stones.