Preserving the Capital's Heritage: A City Reconstructing Itself in the Shadow of War.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her freshly fitted front door. Local helpers had playfully nicknamed its elegant transom window the “pastry”, a playful reference to its bowed shape. “I think it’s more of a peacock,” she commented, admiring its twig-detailed features. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who marked the occasion with two impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an act of resistance in the face of an invading force, she explained: “Our aim is to live like everyday people in spite of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the best possible way. Fear does not drive us of remaining in Ukraine. I had the option to depart, starting anew to Italy. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance represents our commitment to our homeland.”

“Our aim is to live like everyday people despite the war. It’s about organizing our life in the most positive way.”

Protecting Kyiv’s architectural heritage could be considered strange at a period when missile strikes routinely fall the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, bombing campaigns have been dramatically stepped up. After each strike, workers board up shattered windows with plywood and try, 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 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 erected in 1906 and was initially the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its facade is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon nowadays,” Danylenko said. The mansion was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity exhibit analogous art nouveau elements, including a lack of symmetry – with a pointed turret on one side and a small tower on the other. One beloved house in the area features two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Dual Threats to History

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who knock down historically significant buildings, unethical officials and a administrative body apathetic or hostile to the city’s profound architectural history. The severe winter climate presents another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We lack genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s leadership was friends with many of the developers who flatten important houses. Perov further alleged that the concept for the capital comes straight out of a different time. The mayor denies these claims, saying they originate from political rivals.

Perov said many of the public-spirited activists who once protected older properties were now serving in the military or had been fallen. The protracted conflict meant that all citizens was facing monetary strain, he added, including judicial figures who curiously ruled in favour of dubious new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see deterioration of our society and state bodies,” he contended.

Loss and Disregard

One notorious demolition site is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had agreed to preserve its attractive brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the 2022 invasion, heavy machinery razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane prepared 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 coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled old properties while claiming they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A previous regime also inflicted immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could accommodate official processions.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most renowned defenders of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was lost his life in 2022 while fighting in the frontline. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were continuing his vital preservation work. There were originally 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s successful industrialists. Only 80 of their original doors are still in existence, she said.

“It wasn’t aerial bombardments that destroyed them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could last another 20 years. If we fail to protect 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 period-correct railings; inside is a period bathroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could last another 20 years. If we fail to protect 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 attempting as a country to go to the west. But we are still not yet close from that standard,” he said. Previous ways of thinking lingered, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Therapy in Preservation

Some buildings are crumbling because of official neglect. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons roosted among its smashed windows; rubbish lay under a storybook tower. “Frequently we are unsuccessful,” she conceded. “Restoration is a coping mechanism for us. We are striving to save all this past and aesthetic value.”

In the face of conflict and neglect, these volunteers continue their work, one building at a time, arguing that to rebuild a city’s heart, you must first save its history.