Protecting Kyiv's Heritage: A City Rebuilding Itself in the Shadow of War.

Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her recently completed front door. Volunteers had affectionately dubbed its ornate transom window the “pastry”, a whimsical nod to its curved shape. “I think it’s more of a peafowl,” she commented, admiring its twig-detailed features. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who celebrated with a couple of impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an act of resistance towards a neighboring state, she clarified: “Our aim is to live like everyday people in spite of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the most positive way. Fear does not drive us of staying in our country. The possibility to emigrate existed, relocating to another European nation. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance represents our dedication to our homeland.”

“We strive to live like everyday people regardless of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the optimal way.”

Safeguarding Kyiv’s historic buildings seems unusual at a period when aerial assaults frequently hit the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, aerial raids have been dramatically stepped up. After each strike, workers board up broken windows with plywood and try, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Within the Conflict, a Fight for History

Despite the violence, a group of activists has been striving to conserve the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a distinctive style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the downtown Shevchenkivskyi district. It was constructed in 1906 and was originally the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its facade is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare nowadays,” Danylenko stated. The mansion was designed by a designer of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity display analogous art nouveau features, including an irregular shape – with a pointed turret on one side and a small tower on the other. One beloved house in the area displays two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Several Challenges to History

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who demolish historically significant buildings, unethical officials and a administrative body apathetic or resistant to the city’s vast architectural history. The harsh winter climate presents another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We don’t have real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He alleged the city’s leadership was allied with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov further alleged that the vision for the capital harks back to a bygone era. The mayor has refuted these claims, saying they originate from political rivals.

Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once defended older properties were now serving in the military or had been lost. The lengthy conflict meant that all citizens was facing monetary strain, he added, including judicial figures who inexplicably ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see deterioration of our society and governing institutions,” he contended.

Destruction and Disregard

One glaring location of loss is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had committed to preserve its attractive brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the 2022 invasion, diggers demolished it. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new shopping and business centre, watched 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 demolished old properties while asserting they were doing “archaeological research”, he said. A former political system also wrought immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could facilitate official processions.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most prominent champions of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was fell in 2022 while engaged in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his important preservation work. There were originally 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s successful entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their original doors are still in existence, she said.

“It wasn’t aerial bombardments that got rid of them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now not a thing will be left,” she emphasized. 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 original-style railings; inside is a period bathroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could last another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now not a thing will be left.”

The building’s occupant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not appreciate the past? “Regrettably 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 some distance away from such cultural awareness,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking lingered, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Hope 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 collapsed; pigeons made their home among its smashed windows; rubbish lay under a fairytale tower. “Frequently we are unsuccessful,” she admitted. “Restoration is therapy for us. We are attempting to save all this heritage and splendour.”

In the face of conflict and neglect, these volunteers continue their work, one building at a time, stating that to save a city’s identity, you must first cherish its stones.