Preserving the Capital's Heritage: A City Rebuilding Its Foundations Under the Threat of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her freshly fitted front door. The restoration team had given the moniker its elegant transom window the “crescent roll”, a whimsical nod to its arched shape. “I think it’s more of a peacock,” she stated, admiring its branch-like ornamentation. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who marked the occasion with several impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an expression of resistance in the face of a foreign power, she explained: “We are trying to live like normal people in spite of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the best possible way. We’re not afraid of staying in our country. I had the option to depart, relocating to Italy. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our allegiance to our homeland.”

“We are trying to live like everyday people in spite of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the most positive way.”

Preserving Kyiv’s architectural heritage seems strange at a period when drone attacks regularly target the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, aerial raids have been dramatically stepped up. After each assault, workers cover broken windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Among the Bombs, a Campaign for History

Despite the violence, a group of activists has been working to conserve the city’s decaying mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the downtown Shevchenkivskyi district. It was constructed in 1906 and was originally the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its outer walls is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare nowadays,” Danylenko noted. The mansion was designed by a designer of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings close by showcase similar art nouveau elements, including an irregular shape – with a gothic tower on one side and a turret on the other. One beloved house in the area displays two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Dual Threats to Legacy

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who raze historically significant buildings, dishonest officials and a governing class indifferent or resistant to the city’s rich architectural history. The bitter winter climate adds another difficulty.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We lack genuine 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 bulldoze important houses. Perov further alleged that the vision for the capital harks back to a previous decade. The mayor has refuted these claims, attributing them from political rivals.

Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once defended older properties were now fighting on the frontline or had been fallen. The lengthy conflict meant that everyone was facing financial problems, 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 public institutions,” he argued.

Loss and Neglect

One egregious 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 charming brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the onset of major hostilities, heavy machinery razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new commercial complex, watched 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 levelled old properties while stating they were doing “archaeological research”, he said. A former political system also wrought immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its central boulevard after the second world war so it could accommodate military vehicles.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most prominent champions of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was killed in 2022 while serving in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were continuing his vital preservation work. There were originally 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s wealthy industrialists. Only 80 of their original doors remain, she said.

“It wasn’t foreign rockets that got rid of them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “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 characterful ivy-draped house built in 1910, which functions as the headquarters of her cultural organization and doubles as a film set and museum. The property has a new crimson entrance and authentic railings; inside is a period bathroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could last another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now nothing will be left.”

The building’s tenant, 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 trying as a country to integrate with the west. But we are still a way off from civilization,” he said. Previous ways of thinking lingered, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Hope in Action

Some buildings are falling apart because of official neglect. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons nested among its shattered windows; refuse lay under a storybook tower. “Frequently we lose the battle,” she conceded. “Restoration is a coping mechanism for us. We are striving to save all this heritage and beauty.”

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