Protecting Kyiv's Heritage: An Urban Center Rebuilding Itself in the Shadow of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her recently completed front door. Local helpers had given the moniker its elegant transom window the “crescent roll”, a lighthearted tribute to its curved shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a peacock,” she remarked, admiring its twig-detailed details. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who celebrated with several impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an expression of resistance against a neighboring state, she elaborated: “We are trying to live like ordinary people regardless of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the most positive way. We’re not afraid of remaining in our country. I had the option to depart, starting anew to another European nation. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our dedication to our homeland.”

“We are trying to live like normal people despite the war. It’s about arranging our life in the most positive way.”

Protecting Kyiv’s built legacy may appear paradoxical at a period when drone attacks frequently hit the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, offensive operations have been significantly intensified. After each attack, workers seal blown-out windows with plywood and try, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Amid the Conflict, a Campaign for Identity

Despite the violence, a collective of activists has been striving to preserve the city’s decaying mansions, built in a playful style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the downtown Shevchenkivskyi district. It was constructed in 1906 and was initially the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its exterior is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare today,” Danylenko said. The building was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity showcase similar art nouveau elements, including asymmetry – with a pointed turret 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 demonic figure.

Multiple Dangers to Heritage

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who raze protected buildings, corrupt officials and a administrative body apathetic or opposed to the city’s profound architectural history. The bitter winter climate adds another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where money wins. We are missing real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s mayor was allied with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov stated that the concept for the capital comes straight out of a bygone era. The mayor denies these claims, attributing them from political rivals.

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

Loss and Disregard

One egregious location of loss is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had pledged to preserve its charming brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the 2022 invasion, excavators demolished it. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new shopping and business centre, observed by a stern security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was faint chance for the remaining turquoise-painted 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, rebuilding its primary street after the second world war so it could facilitate official processions.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most notable advocates of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was lost his life in 2022 while fighting in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his crucial preservation work. There were originally 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s wealthy business magnates. Only 80 of their original doors are still in existence, she said.

“It wasn’t aerial bombardments that destroyed them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now nothing will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful ivy-draped house built in 1910, which acts as the headquarters of her cultural organization and operates as a film set and museum. The property has a new red door and authentic railings; inside is a period bathroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could continue for another 20 years. If we don’t defend 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 residents not cherish the past? “Sadly they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are striving as a country to integrate with the west. But we are still a way off from that standard,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking remained, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Hope in Restoration

Some buildings are falling apart because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna showed a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons made their home among its shattered windows; refuse lay under a fairytale tower. “Often we lose the battle,” she admitted. “Restoration is a form of healing for us. We are attempting to save all this history and splendour.”

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