Preserving Kyiv's Heritage: A City Reconstructing Its Foundations Under the Threat of War.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her recently completed front door. Volunteers had affectionately dubbed its ornate transom window the “croissant”, a lighthearted tribute to its arched shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a peafowl,” she stated, admiring its twig-detailed features. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who commemorated the work with a couple of impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an act of opposition against an invading force, she explained: “Our aim is to live like normal people regardless of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the most positive way. We’re not afraid of staying in Ukraine. The possibility to emigrate existed, moving away to another European nation. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance shows our allegiance to our homeland.”

“We are trying to live like normal people despite the war. It’s about organizing our life in the best possible way.”

Safeguarding Kyiv’s architectural heritage may appear strange at a time when missile strikes frequently hit the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, aerial raids have been dramatically stepped up. After each attack, workers cover shattered windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Among the Bombs, a Battle for Identity

Despite the violence, a group of activists has been attempting to conserve 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 facade is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce nowadays,” Danylenko stated. The residence was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity exhibit similar art nouveau characteristics, including an irregular shape – with a pointed turret on one side and a turret on the other. One much-loved house in the area boasts two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Multiple Challenges to History

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who demolish listed buildings, unethical officials and a political leadership apathetic or resistant to the city’s vast architectural history. The severe winter climate presents another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We are missing genuine 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 vision for the capital harks back to a different time. The mayor denies these claims, stating they come from political rivals.

Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once defended older properties were now engaged in combat or had been lost. The ongoing conflict meant that all citizens was facing economic hardship, he added, including judicial figures who mysteriously 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.

Demolition and Neglect

One egregious example of destruction is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had agreed to preserve its charming brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the onset of major hostilities, excavators tore it down. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new shopping and business centre, watched 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 stating they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A previous regime also inflicted immense damage on the capital, rebuilding its primary street after the second world war so it could allow for large-scale parades.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most renowned defenders of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was killed in 2022 while serving in the frontline. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his vital preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s prosperous industrialists. Only 80 of their authentic doors survived, she said.

“It was not foreign rockets that eliminated them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could last another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now nothing will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a full of character vine-clad 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 red door and authentic railings; inside is a historic washroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could last another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now not a thing 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 cherish the past? “Regrettably they are without education and taste. It’s all about business. We are attempting as a country to move towards the west. But we are still not yet close from civilization,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking lingered, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Hope in Action

Some buildings are collapsing because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna showed a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons made their home among its smashed windows; refuse lay under a fairytale tower. “Often we are unsuccessful,” she admitted. “This activity is a form of healing for us. We are striving to save all this past and splendour.”

In the face of destruction and development pressures, these volunteers continue their work, one building at a time, stating that to rebuild a city’s soul, you must first protect its walls.