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

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her newly installed front door. Local helpers had given the moniker its ornate transom window the “crescent roll”, a playful reference to its bowed shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a showy bird,” she commented, admiring its branch-like ornamentation. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who commemorated the work with a couple of impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of defiance in the face of a neighboring state, she explained: “Our aim is to live like everyday people despite the war. It’s about shaping our life in the most positive way. We have no fear of staying in Ukraine. The possibility to emigrate existed, moving away to Italy. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our dedication to our homeland.”

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

Safeguarding Kyiv’s historic buildings could be considered paradoxical at a time when missile strikes regularly target the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, offensive operations have been notably increased. After each strike, workers cover shattered windows with plywood and try, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Within the Explosions, a Campaign for Identity

Despite the violence, a group of activists has been striving to save 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 initially the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its outer walls is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare in the present day,” Danylenko stated. The residence was designed by a designer of Central European origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity exhibit similar art nouveau characteristics, including asymmetry – with a medieval spire 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.

Dual Threats to Legacy

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who raze protected buildings, unethical officials and a governing class indifferent or opposed to the city’s vast architectural history. The harsh winter climate presents 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 claimed the city’s mayor was closely associated with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov stated that the concept for the capital comes straight out 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 protracted conflict meant that everyone was facing monetary strain, he added, including those in the legal system who inexplicably ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see deterioration of our society and governing institutions,” he argued.

Demolition and Neglect

One egregious example of destruction is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had pledged to preserve its picturesque brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the full-scale invasion, excavators razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new commercial complex, watched by a surly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was not much hope for the remaining coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers destroyed old properties while asserting they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A previous regime also inflicted immense damage on the capital, redesigning its central boulevard after the second world war so it could accommodate large-scale parades.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most prominent advocates of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was fell in 2022 while engaged in a eastern city. 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 built for the city’s wealthy business magnates. Only 80 of their original doors are still in existence, she said.

“It was not foreign rockets that eliminated them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now little 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 operates as a film set and museum. The property has a new vermilion portal and period-correct railings; inside is a period bathroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could go on for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now nothing will be left.”

The building’s occupant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not cherish the past? “Regrettably they lack 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 that standard,” he said. Previous ways of thinking persisted, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Hope in Preservation

Some buildings are collapsing because of institutional abandonment. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons made their home among its shattered windows; debris lay under a whimsical tower. “Often we don’t win,” she admitted. “This activity is therapy for us. We are striving to save all this history and beauty.”

In the face of war and neglect, these volunteers continue their work, one building at a time, stating that to preserve a city’s heart, you must first save its walls.