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

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her recently completed front door. The restoration team had playfully nicknamed its ornate transom window the “croissant”, a whimsical nod to its curved shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a showy bird,” she commented, admiring its twig-detailed details. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who marked the occasion with two impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of defiance against an invading force, she elaborated: “We strive to live like ordinary people in spite of the war. It’s about organizing 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. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our commitment to our homeland.”

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

Safeguarding Kyiv’s built legacy could be considered strange at a period when aerial assaults routinely fall the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, bombing campaigns have been dramatically stepped up. After each strike, workers seal broken windows with plywood and try, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Within the Bombs, a Campaign for History

Amid the bombs, a group of activists has been striving to save the city’s crumbling mansions, built in a distinctive style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the central Shevchenkivskyi district. It was erected in 1906 and was originally the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its facade is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon nowadays,” Danylenko stated. The building was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings close by exhibit analogous art nouveau features, including an irregular shape – with a pointed turret on one side and a small tower on the other. One much-loved house in the area boasts two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Multiple Threats to History

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who demolish listed buildings, unethical officials and a administrative body unconcerned or resistant to the city’s rich architectural history. The bitter winter climate presents another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We lack substantive political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s leadership was allied with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov stated that the vision for the capital is reminiscent of a different time. The mayor denies 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 ongoing conflict meant that all citizens was facing economic hardship, he added, including those in the legal system who curiously ruled in favour of dubious new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see decline of our society and state bodies,” he remarked.

Destruction and Abandonment

One notorious demolition site is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had committed to preserve its picturesque brick facade. A day after the full-scale invasion, heavy machinery demolished it. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new shopping and business centre, watched by a unfriendly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was not much hope for the remaining turquoise-painted houses on the site. Sometimes developers demolished old properties while stating they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A 20th-century empire also wrought immense damage on the capital, redesigning its primary street after the second world war so it could accommodate official processions.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most prominent advocates of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was fell in 2022 while serving in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his vital preservation work. There were initially 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s wealthy business magnates. Only 80 of their original doors survived, she said.

“It wasn’t external attacks that destroyed them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now nothing will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique vine-clad house built in 1910, which serves as the headquarters of her cultural organization and doubles as a film set and museum. The property has a new crimson entrance and period-correct railings; inside is a vintage sanitary facility and antique mirrors.

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

The building’s tenant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “incredibly atmospheric and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not cherish the past? “Sadly they are without education and taste. It’s all about business. We are attempting as a country to integrate with the west. But we are still not yet close from civilization,” he said. Previous ways of thinking persisted, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Hope in Restoration

Some buildings are crumbling because of official neglect. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons nested among its broken windows; rubbish lay under a storybook tower. “Often we don’t win,” she acknowledged. “This activity is a coping mechanism for us. We are striving to save all this past and aesthetic value.”

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