Preserving the Capital's Heritage: A City Rebuilding Itself Under the Threat of War.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her newly installed front door. Volunteers had given the moniker its elegant transom window the “crescent roll”, a lighthearted tribute to its curved shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a peafowl,” she remarked, appreciating its branch-like features. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who marked the occasion with a couple of neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of resistance in the face of an invading force, she clarified: “Our aim is to live like ordinary people regardless of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the most positive way. Fear does not drive us of staying in our country. I had the option to depart, starting anew to another European nation. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance shows our commitment to our homeland.”

“Our aim is to live like normal people regardless of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the optimal way.”

Protecting Kyiv’s built legacy seems strange at a time when missile strikes frequently hit the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, offensive operations have been dramatically stepped up. After each assault, workers cover blown-out windows with plywood and try, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Among the Bombs, a Fight for Beauty

Amid the bombs, a collective of activists has been working to preserve the city’s decaying 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 originally 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 noted. The building was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings close by showcase comparable art nouveau elements, including a lack of symmetry – with a gothic tower on one side and a turret on the other. One beloved house in the area displays two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Multiple Challenges to History

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who demolish listed buildings, dishonest officials and a administrative body apathetic or resistant to the city’s vast architectural history. The bitter winter climate presents another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We lack real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s leadership was friends with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov stated that the concept for the capital is reminiscent of a previous decade. The mayor denies these claims, attributing them from political rivals.

Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once protected older properties were now engaged in combat or had been fallen. The lengthy conflict meant that everyone was facing monetary strain, he added, including those in the legal system who curiously ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see deterioration of our society and state bodies,” he argued.

Loss and Abandonment

One notorious 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 committed to preserve its charming brick facade. A day after the onset of major hostilities, excavators tore it down. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new shopping and business centre, watched by a stern security guard.

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

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most renowned defenders of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was lost his life in 2022 while serving in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were continuing his important preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s prosperous entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their original doors remain, she said.

“It was not aerial bombardments that eliminated them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could last another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now little will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique vine-clad house built in 1910, which functions as the headquarters of her cultural organization and also serves as a film set and museum. The property has a new red door and period-correct railings; inside is a period bathroom and antique mirrors.

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

The building’s tenant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “very cool and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not value the past? “Unfortunately they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are trying as a country to move towards the west. But we are still not yet close from civilization,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking remained, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Resilience in Restoration

Some buildings are collapsing because of official neglect. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons roosted among its broken windows; refuse lay under a fairytale tower. “Frequently we are unsuccessful,” she conceded. “Preservation work is a coping mechanism for us. We are trying to save all this history and beauty.”

In the face of conflict and commercial interests, these citizens continue their work, one facade at a time, arguing that to preserve a city’s heart, you must first protect its stones.