Preserving the Capital's Heritage: An Urban Center Rebuilding Its Foundations Under the Threat of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her freshly fitted front door. Volunteers had playfully nicknamed its graceful transom window the “pastry”, a lighthearted tribute to its arched shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a showy bird,” she stated, admiring its twig-detailed features. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who marked the occasion with a couple of lively pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of defiance in the face of an invading force, she clarified: “We strive to live like normal people despite the war. It’s about shaping our life in the most positive way. We have no fear of remaining in our country. I could have left, relocating to a foreign land. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our commitment to our homeland.”

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

Protecting Kyiv’s architectural heritage seems unusual at a time when drone attacks regularly target the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, bombing campaigns have been notably increased. After each strike, workers cover shattered windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Amid the Explosions, a Fight for History

Amid the bombs, a group of activists has been attempting to save the city’s decaying mansions, built in a distinctive 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 facade is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce in the present day,” Danylenko stated. The residence was designed by a designer of Central European origin. Several other buildings nearby showcase similar art nouveau features, including an irregular shape – with a pointed turret 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 devil.

Several Dangers to Heritage

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who raze historically significant buildings, unethical officials and a administrative body indifferent or opposed to the city’s vast architectural history. The severe winter climate presents another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where money wins. We don’t have substantive political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He alleged the city’s leadership was allied with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov added that the concept for the capital is reminiscent of a different time. The mayor has refuted these claims, stating they come from political rivals.

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

Demolition and Abandonment

One egregious location of loss is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had agreed to preserve its picturesque 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, monitored by a stern security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was not much hope for the remaining turquoise-painted houses on the site. Sometimes developers destroyed old properties while claiming they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A former political system also wrought immense damage on the capital, rebuilding its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could facilitate military vehicles.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most prominent defenders of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was fell in 2022 while fighting in the frontline. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were continuing his important preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s prosperous industrialists. Only 80 of their period doors survived, she said.

“It was not aerial bombardments that destroyed them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could last another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now not a thing will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful creeper-covered 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 red door and period-correct railings; inside is a historic washroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could go on for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now nothing will be left.”

The building’s tenant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not value 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 some distance away from such cultural awareness,” he said. Previous ways of thinking remained, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Hope in Preservation

Some buildings are collapsing because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons nested among its smashed windows; refuse lay under a fairytale tower. “Many times we don’t win,” she conceded. “This activity is a form of healing for us. We are attempting to save all this past and beauty.”

In the face of conflict and neglect, these activists continue their work, one facade at a time, believing that to rebuild a city’s soul, you must first save its stones.