Safeguarding Kyiv's Heritage: A City Reconstructing Its Foundations Amidst the Onslaught of War.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her freshly fitted front door. The restoration team 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 peafowl,” she remarked, admiring its tree limb-inspired details. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who marked the occasion with a couple of lively pavement parties.

It was also an expression of resistance towards an invading force, she explained: “We are trying to live like ordinary people in spite of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the most positive way. Fear does not drive us of living in our country. The possibility to emigrate existed, relocating to Italy. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance represents our commitment to our homeland.”

“We are trying to live like ordinary people in spite of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the best possible way.”

Safeguarding Kyiv’s historic buildings could be considered paradoxical at a time when aerial assaults frequently hit the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, bombing campaigns have been significantly intensified. After each strike, workers board up shattered windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Amid the Bombs, a Battle for History

Despite the violence, a collective of activists has been working to conserve the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the downtown 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 delicate camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare in the present day,” Danylenko said. The building was designed by a designer of Central European origin. Several other buildings nearby showcase similar art nouveau characteristics, including asymmetry – with a medieval spire on one side and a projection on the other. One popular house in the area features two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Several Threats to Legacy

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who knock down listed buildings, dishonest officials and a governing class apathetic or hostile to the city’s profound architectural history. The bitter winter climate adds another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We don’t have substantive 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 added that the vision for the capital is reminiscent of a previous decade. The mayor rejects these claims, attributing them from political rivals.

Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once protected older properties were now serving in the military or had been lost. The protracted conflict meant that all citizens was facing economic hardship, he added, including those in the legal system who curiously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see degradation of our society and public institutions,” he argued.

Destruction and Disregard

One glaring example of destruction 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. A day after the onset of major hostilities, diggers tore it down. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new retail and office development, monitored by a unfriendly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was not much hope for the remaining blue-green houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled old properties while claiming they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A previous regime also inflicted immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its primary street after the second world war so it could facilitate large-scale parades.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most renowned defenders of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was killed in 2022 while serving in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his important preservation work. There were originally 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s wealthy industrialists. Only 80 of their period doors survived, she said.

“It was not external attacks that got rid of them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now little will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique ivy-draped house built in 1910, which serves as the headquarters of her cultural organization and doubles as a film set and museum. The property has a new vermilion portal and period-correct railings; inside is a period bathroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could go on for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now little will be left.”

The building’s occupant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “very cool and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not appreciate the past? “Unfortunately they are without education and taste. It’s all about business. We are attempting as a country to move towards the west. But we are still a way off from that standard,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking remained, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Resilience in Restoration

Some buildings are falling apart because of institutional abandonment. Chudna showed 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 are unsuccessful,” she conceded. “This activity is therapy for us. We are striving to save all this past and aesthetic value.”

In the face of destruction and development pressures, these citizens continue their work, one building at a time, believing that to preserve a city’s heart, you must first cherish its stones.