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

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her freshly fitted front door. Volunteers had given the moniker its elegant transom window the “crescent roll”, a whimsical nod to its curved shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a peafowl,” she remarked, appreciating its branch-like details. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who celebrated with a couple of neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an expression of opposition against a neighboring state, she elaborated: “Our aim is to live like normal people regardless of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the optimal way. We’re not afraid of staying in our homeland. I had the option to depart, starting anew to Italy. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance shows our commitment to our homeland.”

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

Protecting Kyiv’s architectural heritage may appear unusual at a moment when aerial assaults frequently hit the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, aerial raids have been significantly intensified. After each attack, workers cover shattered windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Amid the Conflict, a Fight for History

In the midst of war, a group of activists has been striving to conserve the city’s decaying 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 initially the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its exterior is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare in the present day,” Danylenko noted. The building was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings close by display analogous art nouveau features, including an irregular shape – with a medieval spire on one side and a small tower on the other. One popular house in the area features two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Several Threats to History

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who knock down listed buildings, corrupt officials and a governing class unconcerned or opposed to the city’s profound architectural history. The bitter winter climate presents another difficulty.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We lack real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s leadership was closely associated with many of the developers who flatten important houses. Perov added that the concept for the capital comes straight out of a different time. The mayor has refuted these claims, attributing them from political rivals.

Perov said many of the community-oriented activists who once defended older properties were now fighting on the frontline or had been fallen. The protracted conflict meant that the entire society was facing financial problems, he added, including judicial figures who curiously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see deterioration of our society and state bodies,” 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 agreed to preserve its charming brick facade. Shortly following the 2022 invasion, excavators tore it down. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new commercial complex, 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 “archaeological research”, he said. A former political system also inflicted immense damage on the capital, rebuilding its primary street after the second world war so it could facilitate military vehicles.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most renowned advocates of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was lost his life in 2022 while fighting in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his crucial preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s prosperous entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their original doors are still in existence, she said.

“It wasn’t foreign rockets that got rid of them. It was us,” she said with regret. “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 characterful ivy-draped house built in 1910, which acts as the headquarters of her cultural organization and also serves as a film set and museum. The property has a new crimson entrance and original-style railings; inside is a historic washroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could last another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now little 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 appreciate the past? “Regrettably they lack 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 civilization,” he said. Previous ways of thinking remained, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Resilience in Action

Some buildings are falling apart because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna showed a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons made their home among its smashed windows; refuse lay under a whimsical tower. “Frequently we lose the battle,” she acknowledged. “This activity is therapy for us. We are striving to save all this past and splendour.”

In the face of conflict and commercial interests, these citizens continue their work, one door at a time, believing that to save a city’s soul, you must first cherish its walls.