Preserving the Capital's Heritage: An Urban Center Rebuilding Itself Under the Threat of War.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her recently completed front door. The restoration team had affectionately dubbed its graceful transom window the “croissant”, a lighthearted tribute to its curved shape. “I think it’s more of a showy bird,” she stated, appreciating its branch-like ornamentation. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who marked the occasion with several lively pavement parties.

It was also an act of defiance in the face of a neighboring state, she clarified: “Our aim is to live like normal people in spite of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the most positive way. Fear does not drive us of staying in our homeland. The possibility to emigrate existed, relocating to a foreign land. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance represents our dedication to our homeland.”

“We strive to live like everyday people despite the war. It’s about arranging our life in the best possible way.”

Safeguarding Kyiv’s historic buildings could be considered paradoxical at a time when aerial assaults routinely fall the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, bombing campaigns have been notably increased. After each assault, workers seal blown-out windows with plywood and try, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Among the Bombs, a Battle for Beauty

In the midst of war, a collective of activists has been attempting 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 erected in 1906 and was initially the home of a affluent fur dealer. Its outer walls is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare today,” Danylenko said. The building was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings nearby display comparable art nouveau elements, including a lack of symmetry – with a medieval spire on one side and a projection on the other. One popular house in the area features two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Multiple Challenges to Legacy

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who raze historically significant buildings, unethical officials and a governing class indifferent or hostile to the city’s profound architectural history. The bitter 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 asserted the city’s mayor was allied with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov further alleged that the plan for the capital comes straight out of a bygone era. The mayor denies these claims, stating they come from political rivals.

Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once protected older properties were now fighting on the frontline or had been fallen. The protracted conflict meant that the entire society was facing financial problems, he added, including judicial figures who mysteriously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see degradation of our society and governing institutions,” he remarked.

Destruction and Disregard

One glaring example of destruction is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had committed to preserve its charming brick facade. Shortly following the 2022 invasion, diggers tore it down. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new commercial complex, monitored by a stern security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was little optimism for the remaining turquoise-painted houses on the site. Sometimes developers demolished old properties while asserting they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A 20th-century empire also wrought immense damage on the capital, redesigning its primary street after the second world war so it could allow for official processions.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most renowned advocates of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was fell in 2022 while engaged in the frontline. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his crucial preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s wealthy industrialists. Only 80 of their authentic doors remain, she said.

“It was not aerial bombardments that eliminated them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now nothing will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a full of character ivy-draped house built in 1910, which acts 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 continue for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now nothing will be left.”

The building’s resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens not appreciate the past? “Regrettably they are without education and taste. It’s all about business. We are striving as a country to move towards the west. But we are still not yet close from civilization,” he said. Previous ways of thinking lingered, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Hope in Restoration

Some buildings are crumbling because of official neglect. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons roosted among its smashed windows; refuse lay under a whimsical tower. “Frequently we don’t win,” she conceded. “Restoration is a form of healing for us. We are attempting to save all this past and aesthetic value.”

In the face of conflict and development pressures, these volunteers continue their work, one door at a time, stating that to save a city’s identity, you must first protect its stones.