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

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her recently completed front door. Volunteers had playfully nicknamed its graceful transom window the “croissant”, a lighthearted tribute to its bowed shape. “I think it’s more of a peacock,” she remarked, admiring its branch-like features. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who celebrated with two neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of opposition in the face of a foreign power, she explained: “Our aim is to live like everyday people in spite of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the best possible way. We’re not afraid of staying in our homeland. The possibility to emigrate existed, starting anew to a foreign land. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance represents our dedication to our homeland.”

“We are trying to live like normal people despite the war. It’s about organizing our life in the best possible way.”

Protecting Kyiv’s architectural heritage could be considered strange at a moment when drone attacks regularly target the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, bombing campaigns have been dramatically stepped up. After each assault, workers seal shattered windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Amid the Bombs, a Fight for Identity

Despite the violence, a band of activists has been attempting to preserve the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a distinctive style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the central Shevchenkivskyi district. It was built in 1906 and was first the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its outer walls is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce nowadays,” Danylenko said. The building was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity showcase similar art nouveau features, including an irregular shape – with a gothic tower on one side and a small tower on the other. One beloved house in the area boasts two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Multiple Dangers to Legacy

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who raze historically significant buildings, corrupt officials and a governing class apathetic or resistant to the city’s profound architectural history. The harsh winter climate adds another difficulty.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We are missing genuine 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 flatten important houses. Perov further alleged that the vision for the capital comes straight out of a previous decade. The mayor rejects these claims, attributing them from political rivals.

Perov said many of the public-spirited activists who once protected older properties were now serving in the military or had been lost. The lengthy conflict meant that the entire society 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 degradation of our society and governing institutions,” he argued.

Demolition and Neglect

One glaring example of destruction is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had agreed to preserve its attractive brick facade. A day after the onset of major hostilities, heavy machinery demolished it. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new retail and office development, monitored by a stern security guard.

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

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most renowned champions of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was killed in 2022 while fighting in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his vital preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s wealthy business magnates. Only 80 of their authentic doors are still in existence, 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 added. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique vine-clad 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 vermilion portal and period-correct railings; inside is a vintage sanitary facility and antique mirrors.

“The war could last 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 residents not appreciate the past? “Sadly they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are attempting as a country to move towards the west. But we are still some distance away from civilization,” he said. Previous ways of thinking persisted, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Hope in Preservation

Some buildings are falling apart because of official neglect. Chudna showed a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons made their home among its smashed windows; rubbish lay under a storybook tower. “Many times we lose the battle,” she conceded. “Restoration is therapy for us. We are attempting to save all this history and splendour.”

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