Preserving the Capital's Heritage: An Urban Center Reconstructing Its Foundations Amidst the Onslaught of War.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her freshly fitted front door. Local helpers had playfully nicknamed its graceful transom window the “crescent roll”, a whimsical nod to its curved shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a peafowl,” she stated, appreciating its tree limb-inspired ornamentation. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who commemorated the work with two impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an act of opposition against a neighboring state, she clarified: “Our aim is to live like everyday people in spite of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the most positive way. We’re not afraid of remaining in our homeland. I could have left, moving away to a foreign land. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance represents our allegiance to our homeland.”

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

Protecting Kyiv’s architectural heritage could be considered strange at a period when missile strikes frequently hit the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, bombing campaigns have been dramatically stepped up. After each assault, workers cover shattered windows with plywood and try, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Among the Explosions, a Battle for Identity

In the midst of war, a band of activists has been attempting to conserve the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a playful style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the downtown Shevchenkivskyi district. It was constructed in 1906 and was initially the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its outer walls is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon today,” Danylenko said. The residence was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings close by exhibit analogous art nouveau elements, 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 forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Multiple Challenges to Legacy

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who demolish historically significant buildings, dishonest officials and a administrative body apathetic or resistant to the city’s profound architectural history. The bitter winter climate presents another difficulty.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We don’t have genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s leadership was friends with many of the developers who flatten important houses. Perov added that the plan for the capital is reminiscent of a bygone era. The mayor denies these claims, saying they originate from political rivals.

Perov said many of the community-oriented activists who once protected older properties were now fighting on the frontline or had been killed. The protracted conflict meant that all citizens was facing financial problems, he added, including those in the legal system who mysteriously ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see degradation of our society and governing institutions,” he remarked.

Demolition and Disregard

One egregious demolition site is in the riverside 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 onset of major hostilities, diggers demolished it. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new retail and office development, monitored by a surly 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 claiming they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A former political system also caused immense damage on the capital, rebuilding its primary street after the second world war so it could facilitate military vehicles.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most notable advocates of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was lost his life in 2022 while fighting in the frontline. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were continuing his important preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s successful business magnates. Only 80 of their authentic doors remain, she said.

“It was not foreign rockets that eliminated them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could last another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now nothing will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a full of character ivy-draped house built in 1910, which acts as the headquarters of her cultural organization and operates as a film set and museum. The property has a new vermilion portal and original-style railings; inside is a vintage sanitary facility and antique mirrors.

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

The building’s resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “very cool and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens not value the past? “Sadly 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 some distance away from such cultural awareness,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking persisted, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Therapy in Preservation

Some buildings are crumbling because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna showed a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons roosted among its shattered windows; rubbish lay under a fairytale tower. “Many times we lose the battle,” she conceded. “Preservation work is a coping mechanism for us. We are trying to save all this heritage and beauty.”

In the face of war and development pressures, these citizens continue their work, one door at a time, believing that to preserve a city’s heart, you must first save its history.