Safeguarding the Capital's Heritage: An Urban Center Reconstructing Itself in the Shadow of War.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her newly installed front door. Local helpers had given the moniker its elegant transom window the “croissant”, a playful reference to its arched shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a peafowl,” she remarked, appreciating its branch-like details. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who marked the occasion with a couple of lively pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of defiance in the face of an invading force, she explained: “Our aim is to live like ordinary people in spite of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the optimal way. We have no fear of remaining in Ukraine. The possibility to emigrate existed, moving away to another European nation. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance shows our commitment to our homeland.”

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

Protecting Kyiv’s historic buildings seems paradoxical at a time when drone attacks frequently hit the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, aerial raids have been dramatically stepped up. After each assault, workers cover broken windows with plywood and try, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Amid the Conflict, a Fight for Identity

Amid the bombs, a collective of activists has been working to save the city’s decaying mansions, built in a whimsical 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 outer walls is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce in the present day,” Danylenko stated. The building was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings nearby exhibit analogous art nouveau characteristics, including asymmetry – with a pointed turret on one side and a small tower on the other. One popular house in the area features two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Dual Challenges to Legacy

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who demolish listed buildings, dishonest officials and a governing class apathetic or opposed to the city’s profound architectural history. The bitter winter climate presents another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We lack substantive political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s mayor was friends with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov added that the plan for the capital harks back to a previous decade. 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 protracted conflict meant that everyone was facing financial problems, he added, including those in the legal system who inexplicably ruled in favour of dubious new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see degradation of our society and public institutions,” he contended.

Demolition and Neglect

One egregious demolition site is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had committed to preserve its attractive brick facade. A day after the onset of major hostilities, excavators razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new commercial complex, observed by a unfriendly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was not much hope for the remaining blue-green houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled old properties while claiming they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A previous regime also wrought 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 advocates of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was fell in 2022 while fighting in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his important preservation work. There were originally 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s successful business magnates. Only 80 of their original doors remain, she said.

“It wasn’t aerial bombardments that eliminated them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could last another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now not a thing will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a full of character vine-clad house built in 1910, which serves as the headquarters of her cultural organization and operates as a film set and museum. The property has a new red door and authentic railings; inside is a vintage sanitary facility and antique mirrors.

“The war could last another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now little will be left.”

The building’s occupant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “incredibly atmospheric and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not cherish the past? “Unfortunately they do not have 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 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 crumbling because of institutional abandonment. Chudna showed a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons roosted among its shattered windows; refuse lay under a storybook tower. “Frequently we don’t win,” she conceded. “This activity is a form of healing for us. We are trying to save all this heritage and beauty.”

In the face of destruction and neglect, these citizens continue their work, one facade at a time, stating that to save a city’s heart, you must first cherish its history.