Protecting Kyiv's Heritage: An Urban Center Reconstructing Its Foundations in the Shadow of War.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her recently completed front door. Volunteers had affectionately dubbed its ornate transom window the “crescent roll”, a whimsical nod to its arched shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a peacock,” she remarked, admiring its branch-like details. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who marked the occasion with several neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an act of resistance towards a neighboring state, she clarified: “We strive to live like normal people regardless of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the optimal way. We’re not afraid of remaining in our homeland. The possibility to emigrate existed, moving away to Italy. Instead, 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 shaping our life in the most positive way.”

Preserving Kyiv’s built legacy may appear paradoxical at a time when aerial assaults frequently hit the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, aerial raids have been significantly intensified. After each strike, workers board up broken windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Within the Bombs, a Fight for History

Amid the bombs, a band of activists has been working to save the city’s crumbling mansions, built in a distinctive 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 wealthy fur dealer. Its exterior is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce nowadays,” Danylenko stated. The building was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings close by exhibit analogous art nouveau features, including a lack of symmetry – with a pointed turret on one side and a projection on the other. One popular house in the area features two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Several Threats to History

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who demolish protected buildings, corrupt officials and a administrative body apathetic or hostile to the city’s vast architectural history. The severe winter climate imposes another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We are missing real 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 plan for the capital comes straight out of a different time. The mayor rejects these claims, attributing them from political rivals.

Perov said many of the public-spirited activists who once defended older properties were now serving in the military or had been lost. The ongoing conflict meant that everyone was facing monetary strain, he added, including those in the legal system who mysteriously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see deterioration of our society and public institutions,” he remarked.

Loss and Neglect

One notorious location of loss is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had pledged to preserve its charming brick facade. Shortly following the onset of major hostilities, excavators razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new shopping and business centre, watched by a surly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was faint chance for the remaining turquoise-painted houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled old properties while stating they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A 20th-century empire also caused immense damage on the capital, redesigning its primary street after the second world war so it could accommodate large-scale parades.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most prominent champions of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was fell in 2022 while fighting in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were continuing his important preservation work. There were initially 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s wealthy business magnates. Only 80 of their period doors are still in existence, she said.

“It wasn’t foreign rockets that eliminated them. It was us,” she lamented. “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 serves 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 go on for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now little will be left.”

The building’s resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “very cool and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not value the past? “Sadly they do not have education and taste. It’s all about business. We are striving as a country to go to the west. But we are still not yet close from civilization,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking persisted, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Therapy in Action

Some buildings are crumbling because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna pointed to 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. “Frequently we don’t win,” she acknowledged. “Preservation work is therapy for us. We are striving to save all this past and splendour.”

In the face of destruction and neglect, these citizens continue their work, one door at a time, believing that to rebuild a city’s identity, you must first cherish its stones.