Protecting the Capital's Heritage: An Urban Center Reconstructing Itself Amidst the Onslaught of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her recently completed front door. Local helpers had given the moniker its ornate transom window the “croissant”, a playful reference to its curved shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a peacock,” she remarked, gazing at its tree limb-inspired ornamentation. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who celebrated with a couple of neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an act of defiance in the face of an invading force, she elaborated: “We are trying to live like normal people despite the war. It’s about organizing our life in the optimal way. We’re not afraid of living in Ukraine. I could have left, relocating to a foreign land. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our allegiance to our homeland.”

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

Protecting Kyiv’s historic buildings may appear paradoxical at a time when aerial assaults routinely fall the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, offensive operations have been dramatically stepped up. After each strike, workers seal shattered windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Within the Conflict, a Fight for Identity

Amid the bombs, a group of activists has been attempting to save the city’s decaying mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the downtown Shevchenkivskyi district. It was built in 1906 and was first the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its facade is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare nowadays,” Danylenko said. The mansion was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity 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 features two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Several Dangers to History

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who raze listed buildings, dishonest officials and a political leadership indifferent or hostile to the city’s profound architectural history. The bitter winter climate presents another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where money wins. We don’t have genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He alleged the city’s mayor was friends with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov stated that the concept for the capital harks back to a different time. The mayor rejects these claims, stating they come from political rivals.

Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once protected older properties were now engaged in combat or had been fallen. The protracted conflict meant that everyone was facing monetary strain, he added, including judicial figures who mysteriously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see decline of our society and public institutions,” he contended.

Destruction and Disregard

One glaring location of loss is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had agreed to preserve its picturesque brick facade. A day after the 2022 invasion, excavators razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new retail and office development, monitored by a unfriendly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was not much hope for the remaining coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers destroyed old properties while stating they were doing “archaeological research”, he said. A 20th-century empire also wrought immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could facilitate official processions.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most prominent advocates of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was killed in 2022 while fighting in the frontline. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his important preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s successful industrialists. Only 80 of their period doors remain, she said.

“It was not aerial bombardments that destroyed them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now little will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a full of character ivy-draped 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 red door and original-style railings; inside is a historic washroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could continue for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now not a thing will be left.”

The building’s tenant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens not cherish the past? “Sadly they are without education and taste. It’s all about business. We are attempting as a country to integrate with the west. But we are still not yet close from civilization,” he said. Previous ways of thinking remained, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Hope in Action

Some buildings are falling apart because of institutional abandonment. Chudna showed a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons nested among its shattered windows; refuse lay under a storybook tower. “Often we lose the battle,” she admitted. “This activity is a form of healing for us. We are attempting to save all this heritage and beauty.”

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