Preserving Kyiv's Heritage: An Urban Center Rebuilding Itself Amidst the Onslaught of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her recently completed front door. Local helpers had given the moniker its ornate transom window the “croissant”, a lighthearted tribute to its arched shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a peafowl,” she stated, appreciating its twig-detailed details. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who commemorated the work with two neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an expression of defiance against an invading force, she clarified: “We strive to live like ordinary people in spite of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the optimal way. We’re not afraid of staying in our homeland. The possibility to emigrate existed, starting anew to another European nation. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance represents our commitment to our homeland.”

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

Protecting Kyiv’s historic buildings may appear unusual at a period when missile strikes frequently hit the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, bombing campaigns have been notably increased. After each strike, workers board up blown-out windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Amid the Conflict, a Campaign for Beauty

In the midst of war, a band of activists has been attempting to conserve the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a distinctive style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the historic Shevchenkivskyi district. It was erected in 1906 and was originally the home of a affluent fur dealer. Its outer walls is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare today,” Danylenko said. The building was designed by a designer of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity showcase comparable art nouveau features, including an irregular shape – with a medieval spire on one side and a turret on the other. One beloved house in the area boasts two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Several Threats to Heritage

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who raze listed buildings, corrupt officials and a political leadership apathetic or opposed to the city’s profound architectural history. The bitter winter climate presents another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We are missing real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s leadership was closely associated with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov added that the vision for the capital comes straight out of a different time. The mayor has refuted these claims, saying they originate from political rivals.

Perov said many of the community-oriented activists who once championed older properties were now engaged in combat or had been fallen. The protracted conflict meant that all citizens was facing monetary strain, he added, including those in the legal system who curiously ruled in favour of dubious new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see degradation of our society and state bodies,” he contended.

Demolition and Neglect

One egregious example of destruction is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had agreed to preserve its attractive brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the full-scale invasion, diggers demolished it. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new retail and office development, monitored 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 demolished old properties while claiming they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A 20th-century empire also inflicted immense damage on the capital, redesigning its central boulevard after the second world war so it could allow for large-scale parades.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most notable defenders of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was killed in 2022 while fighting in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his vital preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s wealthy business magnates. Only 80 of their period doors are still in existence, she said.

“It wasn’t foreign rockets that got rid of them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could last another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now not a thing will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful 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 vermilion portal and period-correct railings; inside is a historic washroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could continue for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now not a thing will be left.”

The building’s resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens not cherish the past? “Sadly 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 some distance away from such cultural awareness,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking persisted, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Hope in Action

Some buildings are collapsing because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons nested among its shattered windows; rubbish lay under a fairytale tower. “Frequently we don’t win,” she admitted. “This activity is therapy for us. We are attempting to save all this past and aesthetic value.”

In the face of destruction and development pressures, these activists continue their work, one building at a time, stating that to rebuild a city’s identity, you must first save its stones.