Safeguarding Kyiv's Heritage: A City Reconstructing Itself Amidst the Onslaught of War.

Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her newly installed front door. The restoration team had playfully nicknamed its ornate transom window the “pastry”, a lighthearted tribute to its bowed shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a peacock,” she commented, admiring its tree limb-inspired ornamentation. 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 lively pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of resistance towards a foreign power, she clarified: “Our aim is to live like ordinary people in spite of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the optimal way. We’re not afraid of living in Ukraine. I had the option to depart, moving away to a foreign land. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance shows our commitment to our homeland.”

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

Preserving Kyiv’s built legacy seems unusual at a time when drone attacks routinely fall the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, offensive operations have been significantly intensified. After each assault, workers board up shattered windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Among the Explosions, a Campaign for History

Amid the bombs, a collective of activists has been working to conserve the city’s decaying mansions, built in a distinctive style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the historic Shevchenkivskyi district. It was constructed in 1906 and was initially the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its facade is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce in the present day,” 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 asymmetry – with a gothic tower on one side and a turret on the other. One beloved house in the area features two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Multiple Dangers to History

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who demolish historically significant buildings, corrupt officials and a governing class unconcerned or resistant to the city’s rich architectural history. The harsh winter climate imposes another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We don’t have substantive political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s mayor was closely associated with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov further alleged that the concept for the capital harks back to a different time. The mayor denies these claims, attributing them from political rivals.

Perov said many of the public-spirited activists who once protected older properties were now fighting on the frontline or had been killed. The protracted conflict meant that everyone was facing economic hardship, he added, including those in the legal system who inexplicably ruled in favour of dubious new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see degradation of our society and governing institutions,” he remarked.

Loss and Disregard

One glaring example of destruction is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had pledged to preserve its charming brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the 2022 invasion, diggers demolished it. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new shopping and business centre, observed by a stern security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was faint chance for the remaining turquoise-painted houses on the site. Sometimes developers destroyed old properties while stating they were doing “archaeological research”, he said. A 20th-century empire also caused immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its primary street after the second world war so it could facilitate military vehicles.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most prominent champions of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was killed in 2022 while fighting in a eastern city. 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 erected for the city’s wealthy business magnates. Only 80 of their original doors remain, she said.

“It wasn’t foreign rockets that destroyed them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could last another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now nothing will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a full of character creeper-covered house built in 1910, which acts as the headquarters of her cultural organization and doubles as a film set and museum. The property has a new red door and period-correct railings; inside is a historic washroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could go on for 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 “very cool and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not cherish the past? “Regrettably they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are trying as a country to move towards the west. But we are still not yet close from civilization,” he said. Previous ways of thinking persisted, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Resilience in Restoration

Some buildings are collapsing because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons nested among its shattered windows; debris lay under a storybook tower. “Many times we are unsuccessful,” she acknowledged. “Restoration is a coping mechanism for us. We are striving to save all this heritage and splendour.”

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