Protecting Kyiv's Heritage: An Urban Center Reconstructing Itself Amidst the Onslaught of War.

Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her recently completed front door. Volunteers had playfully nicknamed its elegant transom window the “pastry”, a whimsical nod to its curved shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a peacock,” she commented, appreciating its twig-detailed features. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who commemorated the work with two lively pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of opposition towards a neighboring state, she elaborated: “We are trying to live like ordinary people despite the war. It’s about shaping our life in the best possible way. Fear does not drive us of staying in our country. The possibility to emigrate existed, moving away to a foreign land. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance shows our allegiance to our homeland.”

“Our aim is to live like ordinary people in spite of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the most positive way.”

Protecting Kyiv’s historic buildings may appear unusual at a time when aerial assaults regularly target the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, bombing campaigns have been significantly intensified. After each attack, workers seal broken windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Amid the Explosions, a Battle for Identity

In the midst of war, a collective of activists has been working to preserve the city’s decaying mansions, built in a distinctive style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the downtown Shevchenkivskyi district. It was erected in 1906 and was initially the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its outer walls is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce in the present day,” Danylenko noted. The residence was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings nearby showcase similar art nouveau features, including a lack of symmetry – with a pointed turret on one side and a turret on the other. One much-loved house in the area features two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Several Threats to Legacy

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who knock down protected buildings, unethical officials and a administrative body unconcerned or resistant to the city’s vast architectural history. The bitter winter climate presents another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We lack 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 destroy important houses. Perov further alleged that the vision for the capital harks back to a previous decade. The mayor denies these claims, stating they come from political rivals.

Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once defended older properties were now engaged in combat or had been fallen. The lengthy conflict meant that everyone was facing economic hardship, he added, including judicial figures who mysteriously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see deterioration of our society and public institutions,” he argued.

Loss and Disregard

One egregious location of loss is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had agreed to preserve its charming brick facade. Shortly following the full-scale invasion, diggers tore it down. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new shopping and business centre, watched by a unfriendly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was little optimism for the remaining coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled old properties while stating they were doing “archaeological research”, he said. A 20th-century empire also inflicted immense damage on the capital, redesigning its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could facilitate official processions.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most prominent advocates of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was lost his life in 2022 while fighting in the frontline. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his crucial preservation work. There were initially 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s prosperous industrialists. Only 80 of their original doors remain, she said.

“It wasn’t aerial bombardments that eliminated them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now nothing will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique ivy-draped 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 red door and original-style railings; inside is a historic washroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could last another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now not a thing will be left.”

The building’s tenant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not value the past? “Regrettably they do not have education and taste. It’s all about business. We are attempting as a country to move towards the west. But we are still not yet close from such cultural awareness,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking persisted, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Therapy in Action

Some buildings are collapsing because of institutional abandonment. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons roosted among its broken windows; refuse lay under a fairytale tower. “Many times we are unsuccessful,” she conceded. “This activity is a coping mechanism for us. We are trying to save all this past and aesthetic value.”

In the face of destruction and development pressures, these activists continue their work, one building at a time, stating that to preserve a city’s heart, you must first cherish its walls.