Protecting the Capital's Heritage: A City Rebuilding Itself Under the Threat of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her newly installed front door. The restoration team had playfully nicknamed its ornate transom window the “pastry”, a lighthearted tribute to its arched shape. “I think it’s more of a showy bird,” she remarked, appreciating its twig-detailed details. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who commemorated the work with two impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an act of opposition in the face of a neighboring state, she elaborated: “We are trying to live like everyday people in spite of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the most positive way. We have no fear of staying in our country. I could have left, moving away to a foreign land. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our dedication to our homeland.”

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

Safeguarding Kyiv’s architectural heritage could be considered paradoxical at a time when aerial assaults frequently hit the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, aerial raids have been notably increased. After each assault, workers board up blown-out windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Among the Bombs, a Campaign for Identity

In the midst of war, a collective of activists has been working to save the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a playful style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the downtown Shevchenkivskyi district. It was constructed in 1906 and was first the home of a affluent fur dealer. Its exterior is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce nowadays,” Danylenko noted. The mansion was designed by a designer of Central European origin. Several other buildings close by exhibit analogous art nouveau elements, including an irregular shape – 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.

Several Threats to Heritage

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who raze listed buildings, unethical officials and a political leadership unconcerned or opposed to the city’s rich architectural history. The severe winter climate imposes another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We are missing genuine 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 added that the plan for the capital is reminiscent of a bygone era. The mayor rejects these claims, attributing them from political rivals.

Perov said many of the public-spirited activists who once championed older properties were now serving in the military or had been lost. The protracted conflict meant that everyone was facing financial problems, he added, including judicial figures 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 argued.

Demolition and Abandonment

One glaring demolition site is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had committed to preserve its picturesque brick facade. A day after the 2022 invasion, excavators tore it down. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new shopping and business centre, monitored by a unfriendly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was faint chance for the remaining turquoise-painted houses on the site. Sometimes developers demolished old properties while asserting they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A previous regime also inflicted immense damage on the capital, redesigning its central boulevard after the second world war so it could allow for military vehicles.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most renowned advocates of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was lost his life in 2022 while fighting in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his crucial preservation work. There were originally 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s prosperous entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their period doors remain, she said.

“It was not external attacks that eliminated them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now not a thing will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful vine-clad house built in 1910, which functions 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 period bathroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could go on for 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 “very cool and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not value the past? “Unfortunately they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are trying as a country to integrate with the west. But we are still some distance away from such cultural awareness,” he said. Previous ways of thinking remained, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Resilience in Restoration

Some buildings are falling apart because of official neglect. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons roosted among its broken windows; refuse lay under a fairytale tower. “Frequently we don’t win,” she acknowledged. “This activity is therapy for us. We are attempting to save all this heritage and beauty.”

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