Protecting Kyiv's Heritage: An Urban Center Reconstructing Itself Under the Threat of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her newly installed front door. Local helpers had given the moniker its ornate transom window the “crescent roll”, a lighthearted tribute to its curved shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a peafowl,” she commented, gazing at its branch-like details. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who celebrated with several lively pavement parties.

It was also an act of resistance in the face of a foreign power, she elaborated: “Our aim is to live like everyday people regardless of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the most positive way. We have no fear of remaining in Ukraine. I had the option to depart, starting anew to a foreign land. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our allegiance to our homeland.”

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

Preserving Kyiv’s architectural heritage may appear unusual at a moment when missile strikes frequently hit the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, bombing campaigns have been notably increased. After each strike, workers board up shattered windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Among the Conflict, a Campaign for Beauty

In the midst of war, a collective of activists has been striving to conserve the city’s crumbling mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the historic Shevchenkivskyi district. It was built in 1906 and was originally the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its facade is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare today,” Danylenko noted. The mansion was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity showcase analogous art nouveau characteristics, including asymmetry – with a gothic tower on one side and a turret on the other. One popular house in the area features two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Multiple Dangers to Legacy

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who knock down listed buildings, dishonest officials and a governing class apathetic or hostile to the city’s rich architectural history. The bitter winter climate adds another difficulty.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We don’t have real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s leadership was allied with many of the developers who flatten important houses. Perov further alleged that the plan for the capital is reminiscent of 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 serving in the military or had been killed. The protracted conflict meant that all citizens was facing monetary strain, he added, including judicial figures who curiously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see decline of our society and governing institutions,” he remarked.

Demolition and Neglect

One egregious example of destruction is in the riverside 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. Shortly following the 2022 invasion, heavy machinery razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new retail and office development, watched by a stern security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was little optimism for the remaining blue-green houses on the site. Sometimes developers demolished old properties while stating they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A previous regime also caused immense damage on the capital, rebuilding its primary street after the second world war so it could facilitate large-scale parades.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most renowned champions of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was fell in 2022 while fighting in the frontline. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his vital preservation work. There were initially 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s successful entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their original doors survived, 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 neglect architecture now not a thing will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful ivy-draped 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 original-style railings; inside is a vintage sanitary facility and antique mirrors.

“The war could last another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now not a thing will be left.”

The building’s occupant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “incredibly atmospheric and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not value the past? “Sadly they are without education and taste. It’s all about business. We are striving 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 persisted, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Hope in Action

Some buildings are falling apart because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna showed a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons roosted among its smashed windows; rubbish lay under a fairytale tower. “Frequently we are unsuccessful,” she admitted. “Preservation work is a coping mechanism for us. We are striving to save all this history and splendour.”

In the face of destruction and development pressures, these citizens continue their work, one door at a time, arguing that to preserve a city’s soul, you must first save its walls.