Preserving Kyiv's Heritage: A City Rebuilding Itself Under the Threat of War.

Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her freshly fitted front door. Volunteers had given the moniker its ornate transom window the “pastry”, a lighthearted tribute to its arched shape. “I think it’s more of a peacock,” she commented, gazing at its twig-detailed details. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who marked the occasion with two impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an expression of resistance towards a foreign power, she clarified: “Our aim is to live like normal people despite the war. It’s about arranging our life in the most positive way. Fear does not drive us of staying in Ukraine. I had the option to depart, starting anew to Italy. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance shows our commitment to our homeland.”

“We strive to live like ordinary people despite the war. It’s about shaping our life in the best possible way.”

Preserving Kyiv’s built legacy seems strange at a time when aerial assaults regularly target the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, offensive operations have been dramatically stepped up. After each strike, workers cover broken windows with plywood and try, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Among the Bombs, a Fight for History

In the midst of war, a collective of activists has been striving to conserve the city’s crumbling mansions, built in a playful style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the central Shevchenkivskyi district. It was built in 1906 and was initially the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its exterior is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare today,” Danylenko said. The residence was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity showcase analogous art nouveau features, including an irregular shape – with a pointed turret on one side and a small tower on the other. One beloved house in the area features two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Multiple Challenges to Heritage

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who raze protected buildings, dishonest officials and a administrative body indifferent or hostile to the city’s rich architectural history. The harsh winter climate imposes another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We are missing substantive political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He alleged the city’s leadership was closely associated with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov further alleged that the concept 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 civically minded activists who once championed older properties were now engaged in combat or had been fallen. The lengthy conflict meant that the entire society was facing monetary strain, he added, including those in the legal system who mysteriously ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see deterioration of our society and governing institutions,” he contended.

Loss and Neglect

One notorious demolition site is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had agreed to preserve its picturesque brick facade. Shortly following the full-scale invasion, excavators tore it down. Recently, a crane prepared 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 blue-green houses on the site. Sometimes developers destroyed old properties while asserting they were doing “archaeological research”, he said. A 20th-century empire also caused immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its primary street after the second world war so it could allow for official processions.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most prominent champions of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was lost his life in 2022 while fighting in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his crucial preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s successful business magnates. Only 80 of their authentic doors remain, she said.

“It wasn’t foreign rockets that got rid of them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now little will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a full of character creeper-covered 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 vermilion portal 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 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 cherish the past? “Sadly they do not have education and taste. It’s all about business. We are attempting as a country to go to the west. But we are still not yet close from that standard,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking remained, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Therapy in Preservation

Some buildings are collapsing because of institutional abandonment. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons roosted among its shattered windows; refuse lay under a whimsical tower. “Frequently we are unsuccessful,” she admitted. “Preservation work is therapy for us. We are trying to save all this heritage and beauty.”

In the face of war and commercial interests, these activists continue their work, one facade at a time, believing that to preserve a city’s heart, you must first protect its history.