Protecting the Capital's Heritage: An Urban Center Reconstructing Itself Amidst the Onslaught of War.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her freshly fitted front door. Volunteers had given the moniker its graceful transom window the “croissant”, a lighthearted tribute to its bowed shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a peacock,” she stated, gazing at its branch-like ornamentation. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who celebrated with two impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an expression of resistance towards a neighboring state, she explained: “Our aim is to live like ordinary people in spite of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the best possible way. Fear does not drive us of living in our country. The possibility to emigrate existed, starting anew to another European nation. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our allegiance to our homeland.”

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

Preserving Kyiv’s architectural heritage may appear paradoxical at a period when missile strikes regularly target the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, offensive operations have been significantly intensified. After each strike, workers seal shattered windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Within the Bombs, a Fight for Beauty

Amid the bombs, a band of activists has been striving to preserve the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the historic Shevchenkivskyi district. It was constructed in 1906 and was initially the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its exterior is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare nowadays,” Danylenko said. The mansion was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings nearby exhibit analogous art nouveau features, including a lack of symmetry – with a gothic tower on one side and a small tower on the other. One beloved house in the area features two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Multiple Threats to Heritage

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who knock down listed buildings, corrupt officials and a political leadership indifferent or hostile to the city’s rich architectural history. The bitter winter climate presents another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We don’t have genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s leadership was allied with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov added that the concept for the capital is reminiscent of a bygone era. The mayor rejects these claims, attributing them from political rivals.

Perov said many of the community-oriented activists who once protected older properties were now serving in the military or had been fallen. The lengthy conflict meant that everyone was facing economic hardship, he added, including judicial figures who inexplicably ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see degradation of our society and governing institutions,” he remarked.

Destruction and Neglect

One egregious location of loss is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had committed to preserve its charming brick facade. A day after the 2022 invasion, diggers razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new shopping and business centre, observed 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 demolished old properties while stating they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A 20th-century empire also wrought immense damage on the capital, redesigning its central boulevard after the second world war so it could accommodate official processions.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most prominent defenders of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was lost his life in 2022 while serving in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his important preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s wealthy business magnates. Only 80 of their original doors are still in existence, she said.

“It wasn’t external attacks that got rid of 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 ivy-draped house built in 1910, which functions 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 last another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now nothing will be left.”

The building’s tenant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special 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 go to the west. But we are still a way off from civilization,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking persisted, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Hope in Preservation

Some buildings are falling apart because of institutional abandonment. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons roosted among its smashed windows; debris lay under a storybook tower. “Often we don’t win,” she admitted. “This activity is a form of healing for us. We are attempting to save all this history and aesthetic value.”

In the face of war and neglect, these volunteers continue their work, one facade at a time, stating that to save a city’s soul, you must first protect its stones.