Protecting Kyiv's Heritage: A City Reconstructing Itself in the Shadow of War.

Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her newly installed front door. Local helpers had given the moniker its graceful transom window the “crescent roll”, a whimsical nod to its arched shape. “I think it’s more of a peacock,” she remarked, admiring its twig-detailed features. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who celebrated with several impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an act of resistance in the face of an invading force, she clarified: “We are trying to live like normal people despite the war. It’s about organizing our life in the optimal way. We have no fear of staying in our country. I had the option to depart, starting anew to another European nation. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our commitment to our homeland.”

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

Safeguarding Kyiv’s built legacy seems strange at a time when drone attacks routinely fall the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, bombing campaigns have been dramatically stepped up. After each assault, workers seal blown-out windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Within the Conflict, a Fight for Beauty

Amid the bombs, a group of activists has been attempting to preserve the city’s decaying mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the historic Shevchenkivskyi district. It was erected in 1906 and was originally the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its facade is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon in the present day,” Danylenko stated. The building was designed by a designer of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity exhibit similar art nouveau elements, including a lack of symmetry – with a gothic tower on one side and a turret on the other. One popular house in the area features two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Dual Dangers to Heritage

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who raze listed buildings, corrupt officials and a administrative body apathetic or hostile to the city’s profound architectural history. The harsh winter climate adds another difficulty.

“Kyiv is a city where money wins. We lack real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s mayor was closely associated with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov added that the plan for the capital comes straight out of a different time. The mayor rejects these claims, attributing them from political rivals.

Perov said many of the public-spirited activists who once protected older properties were now fighting on the frontline or had been killed. The lengthy conflict meant that the entire society was facing monetary strain, he added, including those in the legal system who curiously ruled in favour of dubious new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see decline of our society and public institutions,” he contended.

Demolition and Neglect

One notorious location of loss is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had pledged to preserve its attractive brick facade. Shortly following the 2022 invasion, excavators tore it down. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new commercial complex, watched by a unfriendly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was faint chance for the remaining coloured 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, rebuilding its central boulevard after the second world war so it could facilitate military vehicles.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most notable advocates of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was killed in 2022 while engaged in the frontline. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were continuing his important preservation work. There were initially 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s prosperous entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their authentic doors survived, she said.

“It wasn’t foreign rockets 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 nothing will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique 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 original-style railings; inside is a historic washroom 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 tenant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not cherish the past? “Regrettably they lack 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 that standard,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking remained, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Therapy in Preservation

Some buildings are falling apart because of institutional abandonment. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons made their home among its broken windows; debris lay under a storybook tower. “Frequently we don’t win,” she acknowledged. “Restoration is a form of healing for us. We are striving to save all this past and aesthetic value.”

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