Safeguarding the Capital's Heritage: A City Rebuilding Itself in the Shadow of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her recently completed front door. Local helpers had playfully nicknamed its elegant transom window the “pastry”, a lighthearted tribute to its curved shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a peacock,” she remarked, admiring its tree limb-inspired details. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who commemorated the work with a couple of lively pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of defiance towards an invading force, she elaborated: “We are trying to live like ordinary people regardless of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the most positive way. We’re not afraid of remaining in Ukraine. I had the option to depart, moving away to another European nation. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance represents our commitment to our homeland.”

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

Safeguarding Kyiv’s built legacy may appear paradoxical at a time when drone attacks frequently hit the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, offensive operations have been dramatically stepped up. After each attack, workers seal blown-out windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Amid the Bombs, a Battle for History

Despite the violence, a group of activists has been striving 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 erected in 1906 and was first 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 quite rare nowadays,” Danylenko noted. The residence was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings nearby exhibit comparable art nouveau elements, including a lack of symmetry – with a pointed turret on one side and a turret on the other. One much-loved house in the area displays two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Several Dangers to History

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who raze historically significant buildings, unethical officials and a political leadership unconcerned or resistant to the city’s profound architectural history. The severe winter climate adds another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We are missing genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He alleged the city’s leadership was allied with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov further alleged that the plan for the capital is reminiscent of a different time. The mayor rejects these claims, saying they originate from political rivals.

Perov said many of the public-spirited activists who once championed older properties were now serving in the military or had been lost. The lengthy conflict meant that all citizens was facing financial problems, he added, including those in the legal system who mysteriously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see degradation of our society and governing institutions,” he contended.

Destruction and Disregard

One glaring location of loss is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had pledged to preserve its charming brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the 2022 invasion, diggers razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new retail and office development, observed by a unfriendly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was faint chance for the remaining turquoise-painted houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled old properties while asserting they were doing “archaeological research”, he said. A previous regime also wrought immense damage on the capital, rebuilding its primary street after the second world war so it could allow for official processions.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most renowned advocates of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was lost his life in 2022 while engaged in the frontline. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his crucial preservation work. There were originally 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s wealthy entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their authentic doors remain, she said.

“It wasn’t aerial bombardments 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 not a thing will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a full of character creeper-covered 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 red door and original-style 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 resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “very cool and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not value the past? “Sadly they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are attempting as a country to integrate with 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 built surroundings, he added.

Resilience in Preservation

Some buildings are falling apart because of official neglect. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons nested among its smashed windows; debris lay under a whimsical tower. “Often we don’t win,” she conceded. “This activity is a coping mechanism for us. We are attempting to save all this history and splendour.”

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