Protecting the Capital's Heritage: An Urban Center Rebuilding Its Foundations Under the Threat of War.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her freshly fitted front door. The restoration team had given the moniker its graceful transom window the “croissant”, a lighthearted tribute to its arched shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a peafowl,” she remarked, appreciating its twig-detailed ornamentation. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who commemorated the work with several neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an act of defiance in the face of an invading force, she elaborated: “Our aim is to live like normal people despite the war. It’s about arranging our life in the best possible way. Fear does not drive us of staying in our homeland. The possibility to emigrate existed, starting anew to a foreign land. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance shows our commitment to our homeland.”

“Our aim is to live like everyday people despite the war. It’s about shaping our life in the most positive way.”

Safeguarding Kyiv’s architectural heritage could be considered strange at a time when aerial assaults frequently hit the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, aerial raids have been dramatically stepped up. After each strike, workers seal broken windows with plywood and try, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Within the Conflict, a Battle for Beauty

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 historic Shevchenkivskyi district. It was constructed in 1906 and was originally the home of a affluent fur dealer. Its exterior is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce today,” Danylenko said. The mansion was designed by a designer of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings close by showcase analogous art nouveau elements, including an irregular shape – with a gothic tower on one side and a turret on the other. One much-loved house in the area boasts two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Multiple Challenges to Legacy

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who demolish protected buildings, unethical officials and a political leadership apathetic or opposed to the city’s vast architectural history. The severe winter climate adds another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where money wins. We are missing substantive political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He alleged the city’s mayor was allied with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov further alleged that the vision for the capital harks back to a previous decade. The mayor denies these claims, stating they come from political rivals.

Perov said many of the public-spirited activists who once championed older properties were now fighting on the frontline or had been killed. The ongoing conflict meant that the entire society was facing economic hardship, he added, including judicial figures who curiously ruled in favour of dubious new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see decline of our society and governing institutions,” he argued.

Destruction and Neglect

One glaring location of loss is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had pledged to preserve its picturesque brick facade. Shortly following the full-scale invasion, diggers demolished it. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new shopping and business centre, observed by a stern security guard.

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

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most prominent advocates of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was lost his life in 2022 while engaged in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his crucial preservation work. There were initially 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s wealthy industrialists. Only 80 of their authentic doors remain, she said.

“It wasn’t external attacks that eliminated them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now nothing will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique ivy-draped house built in 1910, which functions as the headquarters of her cultural organization and also serves as a film set and museum. The property has a new crimson entrance and period-correct railings; inside is a period bathroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could last another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now little will be left.”

The building’s occupant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “very cool and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not value the past? “Unfortunately they are without education and taste. It’s all about business. We are striving as a country to go to the west. But we are still some distance away from that standard,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking lingered, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Hope in Restoration

Some buildings are collapsing because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons nested among its shattered windows; refuse lay under a whimsical tower. “Often we are unsuccessful,” she conceded. “Restoration is therapy for us. We are attempting to save all this heritage and beauty.”

In the face of destruction and commercial interests, these citizens continue their work, one building at a time, stating that to save a city’s heart, you must first save its walls.