Preserving the Capital's Heritage: An Urban Center Reconstructing Itself Under the Threat of War.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her freshly fitted front door. The restoration team had given the moniker its graceful transom window the “croissant”, a whimsical nod to its curved shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a showy bird,” she remarked, admiring its twig-detailed features. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who commemorated the work with two lively pavement parties.

It was also an act of defiance towards a foreign power, she elaborated: “We are trying to live like everyday people in spite of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the most positive way. We’re not afraid of remaining in our homeland. I could have left, relocating to another European nation. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance shows our dedication to our homeland.”

“We strive to live like everyday people in spite of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the most positive way.”

Preserving Kyiv’s built legacy seems strange at a time when drone attacks frequently hit the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, aerial raids have been significantly intensified. After each attack, workers cover broken windows with plywood and try, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Among the Explosions, a Campaign for Beauty

In the midst of war, a band of activists has been attempting to save the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a distinctive style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the downtown Shevchenkivskyi district. It was built in 1906 and was originally the home of a affluent fur dealer. Its exterior is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce in the present day,” Danylenko said. The mansion was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings nearby display similar art nouveau elements, including an irregular shape – with a gothic tower on one side and a turret on the other. One beloved house in the area displays two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Several Challenges to Legacy

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who demolish listed buildings, dishonest officials and a governing class apathetic or hostile to the city’s rich architectural history. The harsh winter climate adds another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We don’t have real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s mayor was closely associated with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov stated that the plan for the capital harks back to a bygone era. The mayor has refuted these claims, saying they originate from political rivals.

Perov said many of the public-spirited activists who once championed older properties were now engaged in combat or had been fallen. The ongoing conflict meant that everyone was facing financial problems, he added, including those in the legal system who inexplicably ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see degradation of our society and public institutions,” he remarked.

Destruction and Neglect

One egregious example of destruction is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had agreed to preserve its charming brick facade. Shortly following the 2022 invasion, excavators demolished it. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new commercial complex, observed by a surly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was faint chance for the remaining turquoise-painted houses on the site. Sometimes developers demolished old properties while claiming they were doing “archaeological research”, he said. A previous regime also inflicted immense damage on the capital, rebuilding its central boulevard after the second world war so it could accommodate official processions.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most renowned defenders of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was killed in 2022 while serving in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his crucial preservation work. There were originally 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s successful business magnates. Only 80 of their original doors remain, she said.

“It wasn’t external attacks that got rid of them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now nothing will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a full of character creeper-covered house built in 1910, which acts as the headquarters of her cultural organization and doubles as a film set and museum. The property has a new crimson entrance and original-style railings; inside is a period bathroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could last another 20 years. If we don’t defend 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 value the past? “Unfortunately they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are trying as a country to go to the west. But we are still some distance away from that standard,” he said. Previous ways of thinking remained, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Hope in Preservation

Some buildings are crumbling because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons nested among its smashed windows; rubbish lay under a whimsical tower. “Many times we lose the battle,” she admitted. “Preservation work is a coping mechanism for us. We are attempting to save all this heritage and splendour.”

In the face of conflict and commercial interests, these activists continue their work, one building at a time, arguing that to rebuild a city’s heart, you must first save its stones.