Protecting Kyiv's Heritage: An Urban Center Rebuilding Its Foundations Amidst the Onslaught of War.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her recently completed front door. The restoration team had playfully nicknamed its elegant transom window the “crescent roll”, a playful reference to its arched shape. “I think it’s more of a showy bird,” she remarked, appreciating its tree limb-inspired details. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who commemorated the work with a couple of impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an expression of defiance towards a neighboring state, she clarified: “We strive to live like everyday people regardless of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the best possible way. Fear does not drive us of staying in Ukraine. I could have left, moving away to Italy. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance shows our commitment to our homeland.”

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

Protecting Kyiv’s architectural heritage may appear unusual at a moment when missile strikes frequently hit the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, offensive operations have been significantly intensified. After each strike, workers board up shattered windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Within the Bombs, a Battle for History

Despite the violence, a band of activists has been attempting to preserve the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a distinctive style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the central Shevchenkivskyi district. It was erected in 1906 and was initially the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its outer walls is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce today,” Danylenko noted. The residence was designed by a designer of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings close by display analogous art nouveau features, including a lack of symmetry – with a pointed turret on one side and a projection on the other. One much-loved house in the area boasts two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Dual Challenges to Legacy

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who knock down protected buildings, dishonest officials and a administrative body apathetic or resistant to the city’s profound architectural history. The bitter winter climate presents another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where money wins. We don’t have genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s leadership was friends with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov further alleged that the plan for the capital is reminiscent of a different time. The mayor rejects these claims, stating they come from political rivals.

Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once defended older properties were now fighting on the frontline or had been lost. The protracted conflict meant that everyone was facing financial problems, he added, including those in the legal system who mysteriously ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see deterioration of our society and public institutions,” he argued.

Loss and Neglect

One glaring location of loss is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had pledged to preserve its attractive brick facade. A day after the full-scale invasion, diggers tore it down. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new commercial complex, monitored by a surly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was not much hope for the remaining turquoise-painted houses on the site. Sometimes developers destroyed old properties while asserting they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A 20th-century empire also caused immense damage on the capital, rebuilding its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could facilitate official processions.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most renowned defenders of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was fell in 2022 while fighting in the frontline. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his important preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s successful entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their authentic doors remain, she said.

“It was not aerial bombardments that got rid of them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now little will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique vine-clad house built in 1910, which serves 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 vintage sanitary facility 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 occupant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “very cool and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not value the past? “Sadly they do not have education and taste. It’s all about business. We are trying as a country to go to the west. But we are still not yet close from civilization,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking lingered, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Resilience in Preservation

Some buildings are falling apart because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons made their home among its broken windows; rubbish lay under a storybook tower. “Frequently we are unsuccessful,” she conceded. “This activity is a form of healing for us. We are striving to save all this past and beauty.”

In the face of conflict and development pressures, these activists continue their work, one facade at a time, arguing that to rebuild a city’s soul, you must first protect its history.