Protecting the Capital's Heritage: A City Reconstructing Itself in the Shadow of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her recently completed front door. Local helpers had affectionately dubbed its ornate transom window the “croissant”, a lighthearted tribute to its bowed shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a showy bird,” she commented, admiring its twig-detailed features. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who celebrated with two neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an act of defiance in the face of an invading force, she elaborated: “We are trying to live like ordinary people in spite of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the optimal way. We have no fear of remaining in our country. I had the option to depart, starting anew to another European nation. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our dedication to our homeland.”

“We are trying to live like normal people in spite of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the most positive way.”

Preserving Kyiv’s historic buildings seems strange at a moment when missile strikes regularly target the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, bombing campaigns have been significantly intensified. After each assault, workers cover broken windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Among the Conflict, a Battle for Identity

In the midst of war, a band 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 originally the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its exterior is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon in the present day,” Danylenko said. The residence was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings close by display similar art nouveau elements, including an irregular shape – with a gothic tower on one side and a turret on the other. One beloved house in the area features two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Multiple Dangers to History

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who raze protected buildings, corrupt officials and a administrative body apathetic or resistant to the city’s vast architectural history. The severe winter climate presents another difficulty.

“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 mayor was closely associated with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov stated that the vision 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 public-spirited activists who once defended older properties were now serving in the military or had been fallen. The ongoing conflict meant that all citizens was facing financial problems, he added, including judicial figures who mysteriously ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see deterioration of our society and governing institutions,” he remarked.

Destruction and Neglect

One glaring location of loss is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had pledged to preserve its picturesque brick facade. Shortly following the onset of major hostilities, heavy machinery demolished it. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new retail and office development, watched by a stern security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was little optimism for the remaining coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers demolished old properties while asserting they were doing “archaeological research”, he said. A former political system also caused immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its central boulevard after the second world war so it could allow for military vehicles.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most renowned advocates of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was fell in 2022 while serving in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his crucial preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s successful business magnates. Only 80 of their original doors are still in existence, she said.

“It wasn’t aerial bombardments that eliminated them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now little will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful vine-clad house built in 1910, which serves 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 period bathroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could continue for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now little will be left.”

The building’s resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “incredibly atmospheric 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 striving as a country to move towards the west. But we are still not yet close from civilization,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking persisted, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Hope in Preservation

Some buildings are collapsing because of institutional abandonment. Chudna showed a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons made their home among its broken windows; refuse lay under a whimsical tower. “Often we don’t win,” she admitted. “Preservation work is therapy for us. We are striving to save all this history and splendour.”

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