Preserving Kyiv's Heritage: An Urban Center Rebuilding Its Foundations in the Shadow of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her newly installed front door. The restoration team had playfully nicknamed its ornate transom window the “pastry”, a whimsical nod to its curved shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a peafowl,” she stated, admiring its branch-like features. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who commemorated the work with two neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an act of resistance in the face of a foreign power, she clarified: “We strive to live like normal people in spite of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the optimal way. Fear does not drive us of living in Ukraine. I could have left, relocating to Italy. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance represents our allegiance to our homeland.”

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

Safeguarding Kyiv’s built legacy may appear unusual at a period when aerial assaults frequently hit the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, offensive operations have been significantly intensified. After each attack, workers seal broken windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Within the Conflict, a Campaign for History

Amid the bombs, a collective of activists has been attempting to save the city’s decaying mansions, built in a distinctive style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the historic Shevchenkivskyi district. It was constructed in 1906 and was originally the home of a affluent fur dealer. Its facade is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon in the present day,” Danylenko said. The building was designed by a designer of Central European origin. Several other buildings close by exhibit comparable art nouveau characteristics, including asymmetry – with a medieval spire on one side and a small tower on the other. One beloved house in the area boasts two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Multiple Threats to Legacy

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who knock down listed buildings, dishonest officials and a governing class indifferent or resistant to the city’s profound architectural history. The harsh winter climate presents another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We lack substantive 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 added that the vision for the capital is reminiscent of a different time. The mayor denies these claims, attributing them 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 protracted conflict meant that everyone was facing financial problems, he added, including those in the legal system who mysteriously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see deterioration of our society and state bodies,” he contended.

Loss and Neglect

One glaring demolition site is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had pledged to preserve its picturesque brick facade. Shortly following the onset of major hostilities, diggers tore it down. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new commercial complex, observed by a surly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was little optimism for the remaining turquoise-painted houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled old properties while claiming they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A former political system also inflicted immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its central boulevard after the second world war so it could allow for official processions.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most prominent advocates 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 continuing his vital preservation work. There were originally 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s prosperous industrialists. Only 80 of their authentic doors are still in existence, she said.

“It wasn’t aerial bombardments that eliminated them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now little will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful 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 vermilion portal and original-style railings; inside is a vintage sanitary facility and antique mirrors.

“The war could last another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now little will be left.”

The building’s occupant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not value the past? “Regrettably they are without 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 such cultural awareness,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking lingered, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Therapy in Restoration

Some buildings are falling apart because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna showed a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons nested among its broken windows; debris lay under a storybook tower. “Often we lose the battle,” she acknowledged. “Restoration is a form of healing for us. We are attempting to save all this history and aesthetic value.”

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