Protecting the Capital's Heritage: An Urban Center Reconstructing Itself Amidst the Onslaught of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her newly installed front door. Volunteers had affectionately dubbed its elegant transom window the “croissant”, a whimsical nod to its curved shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a peafowl,” she commented, 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 several impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of opposition in the face of a neighboring state, she clarified: “We strive to live like normal people in spite of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the most positive way. Fear does not drive us of staying in Ukraine. I could have left, starting anew to Italy. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance represents our allegiance to our homeland.”

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

Safeguarding Kyiv’s built legacy seems unusual at a time when aerial assaults routinely fall the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, aerial raids have been dramatically stepped up. After each attack, workers seal broken windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Among the Bombs, a Campaign for Identity

Amid the bombs, a band of activists has been attempting to conserve the city’s crumbling mansions, built in a playful style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the downtown Shevchenkivskyi district. It was erected in 1906 and was initially the home of a affluent fur dealer. Its outer walls is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce nowadays,” Danylenko stated. The residence was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity showcase comparable art nouveau characteristics, including a lack of symmetry – with a medieval spire on one side and a turret on the other. One much-loved house in the area features two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Several Dangers to History

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who knock down listed buildings, unethical officials and a governing class indifferent or hostile to the city’s profound architectural history. The severe winter climate presents another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We are missing real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s leadership was friends with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov further alleged that the vision for the capital is reminiscent of a previous decade. The mayor denies these claims, attributing them from political rivals.

Perov said many of the public-spirited activists who once protected older properties were now serving in the military or had been fallen. The protracted conflict meant that the entire society was facing monetary strain, 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 governing institutions,” he contended.

Loss and Disregard

One glaring example of destruction 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 attractive brick facade. A day after the onset of major hostilities, excavators tore it down. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new retail and office development, watched 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 demolished old properties while stating they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A former political system also wrought immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its primary street after the second world war so it could accommodate large-scale parades.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most notable defenders of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was lost his life in 2022 while fighting in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were continuing his vital preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s successful industrialists. Only 80 of their original doors survived, she said.

“It was not external attacks 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 emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a full of character 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 vermilion portal and original-style railings; inside is a vintage sanitary facility and antique mirrors.

“The war could continue for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now not a thing 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 appreciate the past? “Unfortunately they are without education and taste. It’s all about business. We are attempting as a country to integrate with the west. But we are still not yet close from such cultural awareness,” he said. Previous ways of thinking remained, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Resilience in Restoration

Some buildings are crumbling because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna showed a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons roosted among its shattered windows; refuse lay under a fairytale tower. “Frequently we don’t win,” she conceded. “Preservation work is a coping mechanism for us. We are trying to save all this heritage and splendour.”

In the face of conflict and commercial interests, these activists continue their work, one door at a time, arguing that to rebuild a city’s soul, you must first save its history.