Preserving the Capital's Heritage: A City Reconstructing Its Foundations Amidst the Onslaught of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her newly installed front door. Volunteers had given the moniker its ornate transom window the “crescent roll”, a whimsical nod to its arched shape. “I think it’s more of a showy bird,” she stated, appreciating its twig-detailed details. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who commemorated the work with a couple of neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an expression of opposition against a neighboring state, she explained: “Our aim is to live like normal people despite the war. It’s about shaping our life in the best possible way. We’re not afraid of remaining in our homeland. I could have left, moving away to a foreign land. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance shows our commitment to our homeland.”

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

Safeguarding Kyiv’s historic buildings may appear strange at a moment when aerial assaults routinely fall the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, aerial raids have been notably increased. After each assault, workers seal blown-out windows with plywood and try, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Within the Conflict, a Battle for Beauty

Despite the violence, a collective of activists has been working to preserve 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 built in 1906 and was initially the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its facade is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon nowadays,” Danylenko stated. The building was designed by a designer of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity exhibit analogous art nouveau features, including asymmetry – with a pointed turret on one side and a projection on the other. One popular house in the area displays two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Dual Threats to Legacy

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who raze historically significant buildings, corrupt officials and a governing class unconcerned or resistant to the city’s rich architectural history. The bitter winter climate adds another difficulty.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We are missing genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s leadership was closely associated with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov stated that the plan for the capital is reminiscent of a different time. The mayor has refuted these claims, saying they originate from political rivals.

Perov said many of the public-spirited activists who once championed older properties were now serving in the military or had been lost. The protracted conflict meant that the entire society was facing economic hardship, he added, including judicial figures who inexplicably ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see decline of our society and public institutions,” he argued.

Destruction and Neglect

One glaring demolition site is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had pledged to preserve its picturesque brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the 2022 invasion, heavy machinery demolished it. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new commercial complex, monitored 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 levelled old properties while asserting they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A 20th-century empire also wrought immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its primary street after the second world war so it could facilitate military vehicles.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most renowned defenders of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was fell in 2022 while fighting in the frontline. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his vital preservation work. There were initially 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s prosperous entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their original doors survived, she said.

“It wasn’t external attacks that eliminated them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now nothing will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a full of character creeper-covered house built in 1910, which acts as the headquarters of her cultural organization and doubles as a film set and museum. The property has a new red door and authentic railings; inside is a historic washroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could go on for another 20 years. If we fail to protect 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 residents not value the past? “Unfortunately they are without education and taste. It’s all about business. We are striving as a country to integrate with the west. But we are still some distance away from such cultural awareness,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking persisted, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Resilience 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 roosted among its broken windows; debris lay under a whimsical tower. “Frequently we lose the battle,” she acknowledged. “Restoration is a coping mechanism for us. We are attempting to save all this past and beauty.”

In the face of conflict and development pressures, these activists continue their work, one door at a time, believing that to rebuild a city’s identity, you must first protect its history.