Protecting the Capital's Heritage: A City Rebuilding Itself Amidst the Onslaught of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her freshly fitted front door. The restoration team had playfully nicknamed its graceful transom window the “pastry”, a playful reference to its arched shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a peafowl,” she commented, admiring its tree limb-inspired features. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who commemorated the work with a couple of lively pavement parties.

It was also an act of resistance in the face of a foreign power, she clarified: “Our aim is to live like ordinary 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 country. The possibility to emigrate existed, relocating to a foreign land. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our allegiance to our homeland.”

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

Protecting Kyiv’s architectural heritage seems strange at a period when aerial assaults routinely fall the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, aerial raids have been significantly intensified. After each attack, workers cover blown-out windows with plywood and try, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Amid the Conflict, a Campaign for Identity

Amid the bombs, a group of activists has been working to preserve the city’s crumbling mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the central Shevchenkivskyi district. It was constructed in 1906 and was first the home of a affluent fur dealer. Its exterior is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare nowadays,” Danylenko stated. The residence was designed by a designer of Central European origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity display similar art nouveau features, including an irregular shape – with a medieval spire on one side and a turret on the other. One popular house in the area boasts two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Multiple Threats to Heritage

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who knock down historically significant buildings, unethical officials and a administrative body indifferent or opposed to the city’s rich architectural history. The harsh winter climate imposes another difficulty.

“Kyiv is a city where money wins. We don’t have substantive political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s mayor was allied with many of the developers who flatten important houses. Perov added that the vision for the capital is reminiscent of a different time. The mayor denies these claims, saying they originate from political rivals.

Perov said many of the public-spirited activists who once championed older properties were now serving in the military or had been killed. The lengthy conflict meant that the entire society was facing economic hardship, 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 public institutions,” he contended.

Loss and Neglect

One egregious demolition site is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had committed to preserve its picturesque brick facade. A day after the 2022 invasion, heavy machinery demolished it. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new shopping and business centre, monitored by a unfriendly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was faint chance for the remaining coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled old properties while stating they were doing “archaeological research”, he said. A previous regime also wrought immense damage on the capital, rebuilding its primary street after the second world war so it could accommodate military vehicles.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most prominent defenders of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was fell in 2022 while engaged in a contested area. 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 constructed for the city’s successful industrialists. Only 80 of their authentic doors are still in existence, she said.

“It wasn’t aerial bombardments that got rid of them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now not a thing will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique creeper-covered house built in 1910, which functions as the headquarters of her cultural organization and also serves 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 continue for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now nothing will be left.”

The building’s occupant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “incredibly atmospheric and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not appreciate the past? “Regrettably they are without education and taste. It’s all about business. We are striving as a country to integrate with the west. But we are still a way off from such cultural awareness,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking remained, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Resilience in Restoration

Some buildings are falling apart because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons made their home among its smashed windows; refuse lay under a fairytale tower. “Frequently we lose the battle,” she admitted. “Preservation work is a form of healing for us. We are striving to save all this heritage and aesthetic value.”

In the face of destruction and development pressures, these activists continue their work, one door at a time, stating that to save a city’s identity, you must first cherish its stones.