Safeguarding the Capital's Heritage: A City Reconstructing Its Foundations in the Shadow of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her freshly fitted front door. Volunteers had affectionately dubbed its ornate transom window the “crescent roll”, a playful reference to its bowed shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a peacock,” she stated, appreciating its twig-detailed details. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who celebrated with a couple of neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an expression of defiance against a foreign power, she explained: “Our aim is to live like ordinary people despite the war. It’s about shaping our life in the most positive way. We have no fear of living in our country. I had the option to depart, starting anew to Italy. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our allegiance to our homeland.”

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

Safeguarding Kyiv’s historic buildings seems strange at a moment when missile strikes routinely fall the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, offensive operations have been dramatically stepped up. After each assault, workers board up shattered windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Amid the Explosions, a Fight for Identity

Amid the bombs, a group of activists has been working to save the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a whimsical 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 prosperous fur dealer. Its facade is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare nowadays,” Danylenko noted. The mansion was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity display comparable art nouveau features, 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 devil.

Several Challenges to History

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who raze listed buildings, dishonest officials and a governing class indifferent or opposed to the city’s profound architectural history. The harsh winter climate imposes another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We lack real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s leadership was allied with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov stated that the plan for the capital is reminiscent of a bygone era. The mayor rejects these claims, stating they come from political rivals.

Perov said many of the public-spirited activists who once defended older properties were now serving in the military or had been lost. The protracted conflict meant that all citizens was facing monetary strain, he added, including judicial figures who mysteriously ruled in favour of dubious new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see degradation of our society and governing institutions,” he argued.

Destruction and Disregard

One egregious example of destruction is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had agreed to preserve its picturesque brick facade. Shortly following the onset of major hostilities, excavators razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new retail and office development, watched by a unfriendly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was little optimism for the remaining blue-green houses on the site. Sometimes developers demolished old properties while asserting they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A previous regime also inflicted immense damage on the capital, redesigning its primary street after the second world war so it could accommodate official processions.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most prominent advocates of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was fell in 2022 while fighting in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his crucial preservation work. There were initially 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s wealthy business magnates. Only 80 of their authentic doors survived, she said.

“It wasn’t external attacks that got rid of them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now not a thing will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique creeper-covered house built in 1910, which functions 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 last another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now not a thing will be left.”

The building’s resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “incredibly atmospheric and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not cherish the past? “Unfortunately they are without education and taste. It’s all about business. We are trying as a country to integrate with the west. But we are still some distance away from that standard,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking lingered, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Therapy in Preservation

Some buildings are crumbling because of institutional abandonment. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons roosted among its shattered windows; refuse lay under a fairytale tower. “Many times we are unsuccessful,” she conceded. “Restoration is a coping mechanism for us. We are trying to save all this past and splendour.”

In the face of conflict and commercial interests, these citizens continue their work, one building at a time, stating that to rebuild a city’s soul, you must first save its walls.