Protecting the Capital's Architectural Legacy: A City Reconstructing Its Foundations Under the Threat of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her newly installed front door. Volunteers had affectionately dubbed its elegant transom window the “crescent roll”, a whimsical nod to its curved shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a peacock,” she commented, gazing at its twig-detailed features. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who commemorated the work with two impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an expression of defiance against an invading force, she explained: “We are trying to live like normal people despite the war. It’s about shaping our life in the best possible way. We’re not afraid of remaining in our country. The possibility to emigrate existed, relocating to a foreign land. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our dedication to our homeland.”

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

Protecting Kyiv’s architectural heritage may appear strange at a period when drone attacks frequently hit the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, aerial raids have been notably increased. After each attack, workers seal shattered windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Among the Conflict, a Fight for Identity

Amid the bombs, a group of activists has been striving 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 erected in 1906 and was initially the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its exterior is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce nowadays,” Danylenko noted. The building was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings close by exhibit comparable art nouveau characteristics, including an irregular shape – with a pointed turret on one side and a projection on the other. One much-loved house in the area boasts two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Several Challenges to Heritage

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who knock down historically significant buildings, corrupt officials and a governing class apathetic or hostile to the city’s vast architectural history. The severe winter climate adds another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where money wins. We lack substantive political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s mayor was allied with many of the developers who flatten important houses. Perov further alleged that the plan for the capital harks back to a previous decade. The mayor has refuted these claims, stating they come 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 fallen. The protracted conflict meant that the entire society was facing financial problems, he added, including judicial figures who inexplicably ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see degradation of our society and public institutions,” he argued.

Loss and Disregard

One notorious example of destruction is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had pledged to preserve its picturesque brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the onset of major hostilities, heavy machinery razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new shopping and business centre, monitored 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 demolished old properties while claiming they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A 20th-century empire also inflicted immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its central boulevard after the second world war so it could allow for official processions.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most notable champions of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was fell in 2022 while fighting in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his vital preservation work. There were initially 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s prosperous industrialists. Only 80 of their authentic doors remain, she said.

“It wasn’t external attacks that got rid of them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could last another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now nothing will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful creeper-covered house built in 1910, which acts as the headquarters of her cultural organization and also serves as a film set and museum. The property has a new crimson entrance and original-style 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 resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “very cool and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens not value the past? “Sadly they are without education and taste. It’s all about business. We are trying as a country to move towards the west. But we are still some distance away from such cultural awareness,” he said. Previous ways of thinking lingered, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Therapy in Action

Some buildings are falling apart because of institutional abandonment. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons nested among its broken windows; refuse lay under a whimsical tower. “Many times we lose the battle,” she acknowledged. “Restoration is a form of healing for us. We are striving to save all this heritage and aesthetic value.”

In the face of war and neglect, these citizens continue their work, one door at a time, believing that to preserve a city’s heart, you must first protect its history.