Safeguarding Kyiv's Heritage: A City Reconstructing Itself Under the Threat of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her freshly fitted front door. Local helpers had given the moniker its ornate transom window the “croissant”, a lighthearted tribute to its curved shape. “I think it’s more of a showy bird,” she remarked, gazing at its twig-detailed details. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who commemorated the work with a couple of lively pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of opposition towards an invading force, she explained: “Our aim is to live like normal people regardless of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the optimal way. We have no fear of staying in our country. I could have left, relocating to a foreign land. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our commitment to our homeland.”

“Our aim is to live like normal people in spite of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the best possible way.”

Preserving Kyiv’s built legacy could be considered strange at a time when missile strikes frequently hit the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, aerial raids have been notably increased. After each assault, workers board up broken windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Among the Bombs, a Battle for Identity

In the midst of war, a collective of activists has been attempting to save the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a playful style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the central Shevchenkivskyi district. It was erected in 1906 and was first 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 quite rare in the present day,” Danylenko stated. The building was designed by a designer of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings nearby showcase similar art nouveau elements, including asymmetry – with a pointed turret on one side and a projection on the other. One much-loved house in the area features two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Dual Threats to History

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who demolish protected buildings, unethical officials and a governing class indifferent or resistant to the city’s profound architectural history. The bitter winter climate adds another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We are missing substantive political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s mayor was friends with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov further alleged that the concept for the capital comes straight out of a different time. The mayor has refuted these claims, stating they come 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 lost. The ongoing conflict meant that the entire society was facing economic hardship, he added, including those in the legal system who inexplicably ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see degradation of our society and public institutions,” he argued.

Loss and Neglect

One egregious demolition site is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had committed to preserve its charming brick facade. A day after the onset of major hostilities, heavy machinery razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new shopping and business centre, observed by a stern security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was little optimism for the remaining turquoise-painted houses on the site. Sometimes developers demolished old properties while stating they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A former political system also caused immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its central boulevard after the second world war so it could facilitate military vehicles.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most prominent champions of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was killed in 2022 while engaged in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his important preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s prosperous business magnates. Only 80 of their authentic doors remain, she said.

“It was not foreign rockets that eliminated them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now nothing will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a full of character creeper-covered house built in 1910, which serves as the headquarters of her cultural organization and operates as a film set and museum. The property has a new vermilion portal and period-correct railings; inside is a period bathroom and antique mirrors.

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

The building’s occupant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special 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 attempting as a country to go to the west. But we are still not yet close from civilization,” he said. Previous ways of thinking persisted, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Hope in Action

Some buildings are falling apart because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons made their home among its broken windows; debris lay under a fairytale tower. “Often we don’t win,” she acknowledged. “Restoration is a form of healing for us. We are striving to save all this past and beauty.”

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