Protecting the Capital's Heritage: A City Reconstructing Itself in the Shadow of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her recently completed front door. Local helpers had given the moniker its ornate transom window the “pastry”, a whimsical nod to its curved shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a peafowl,” 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 funded through residents, who celebrated with several lively pavement parties.

It was also an expression of defiance in the face of a neighboring state, she explained: “We are trying to live like everyday people regardless of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the optimal way. We’re not afraid of living in our homeland. I could have left, starting anew to another European nation. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our allegiance to our homeland.”

“We strive to live like normal people despite the war. It’s about organizing our life in the most positive way.”

Preserving Kyiv’s historic buildings could be considered paradoxical at a period when aerial assaults frequently hit the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, bombing campaigns have been notably increased. After each assault, workers board up blown-out windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Within the Bombs, a Battle for Identity

In the midst of war, a collective of activists has been striving to preserve the city’s decaying 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 originally the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its exterior is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon in the present day,” Danylenko stated. The building was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity showcase analogous art nouveau elements, including a lack of symmetry – with a pointed turret on one side and a projection on the other. One much-loved house in the area boasts two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Multiple Dangers to History

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who knock down listed buildings, unethical officials and a political leadership apathetic or opposed to the city’s rich architectural history. The severe winter climate adds another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We lack real 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 destroy important houses. Perov further alleged that the concept for the capital comes straight out of a previous decade. The mayor has refuted these claims, attributing them from political rivals.

Perov said many of the public-spirited activists who once defended older properties were now fighting on the frontline or had been fallen. The protracted conflict meant that the entire society was facing monetary strain, he added, including those in the legal system who curiously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see decline of our society and state bodies,” he argued.

Loss and Neglect

One notorious location of loss is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had committed to preserve its picturesque brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the onset of major hostilities, diggers razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new retail and office development, monitored by a unfriendly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was little optimism for the remaining blue-green houses on the site. Sometimes developers destroyed old properties while asserting they were doing “archaeological research”, he said. A 20th-century empire also wrought immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its primary street after the second world war so it could facilitate large-scale parades.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most renowned defenders of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was fell in 2022 while serving in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his crucial preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s prosperous business magnates. Only 80 of their period doors remain, she said.

“It was not aerial bombardments that got rid of them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now little 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 period-correct railings; inside is a vintage sanitary facility and antique mirrors.

“The war could last another 20 years. If we don’t defend 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 citizens not value the past? “Regrettably they are without 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 such cultural awareness,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking remained, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Hope in Restoration

Some buildings are falling apart because of institutional abandonment. Chudna showed a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons nested among its smashed windows; rubbish lay under a fairytale tower. “Frequently we lose the battle,” she acknowledged. “This activity is a coping mechanism for us. We are trying to save all this past and aesthetic value.”

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