Protecting the Capital's Heritage: A City Reconstructing Its Foundations Amidst the Onslaught of War.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her recently completed front door. The restoration team had given the moniker its elegant transom window the “pastry”, a playful reference to its bowed shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a peacock,” she remarked, admiring its twig-detailed features. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who marked the occasion with two neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an act of resistance in the face of a foreign power, she explained: “Our aim is to live like ordinary people despite the war. It’s about arranging our life in the best possible way. Fear does not drive us of staying in Ukraine. I had the option to depart, starting anew to a foreign land. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our commitment to our homeland.”

“We are trying to live like normal people regardless of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the best possible way.”

Preserving Kyiv’s architectural heritage may appear unusual at a time when drone attacks routinely fall the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, bombing campaigns have been dramatically stepped up. After each assault, workers cover blown-out windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Amid the Conflict, a Campaign for Beauty

Amid the bombs, a collective of activists has been striving to save the city’s decaying mansions, built in a playful 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 affluent fur dealer. Its outer walls is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon nowadays,” Danylenko stated. The residence was designed by a designer of Central European origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity exhibit similar art nouveau features, including an irregular shape – with a pointed turret on one side and a projection on the other. One beloved house in the area boasts two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Dual Dangers to Heritage

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who demolish listed buildings, corrupt officials and a political leadership unconcerned or opposed to the city’s profound architectural history. The bitter winter climate presents another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We lack 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 flatten important houses. Perov stated that the vision for the capital is reminiscent of a previous decade. The mayor denies these claims, stating they come from political rivals.

Perov said many of the public-spirited activists who once protected older properties were now engaged in combat or had been fallen. The ongoing conflict meant that everyone was facing monetary strain, he added, including those in the legal system who mysteriously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see degradation of our society and state bodies,” he contended.

Loss and Neglect

One egregious demolition site is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had agreed to preserve its attractive brick facade. A day after the 2022 invasion, heavy machinery razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new retail and office development, 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 destroyed old properties while stating they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A previous regime also inflicted immense damage on the capital, rebuilding its primary street after the second world war so it could facilitate military vehicles.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most prominent advocates of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was killed in 2022 while fighting in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his vital preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s wealthy industrialists. Only 80 of their original doors are still in existence, she said.

“It was not external attacks that destroyed them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could last another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now nothing will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful creeper-covered house built in 1910, which functions as the headquarters of her cultural organization and operates as a film set and museum. The property has a new crimson entrance and period-correct railings; inside is a period bathroom and antique mirrors.

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

The building’s resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “incredibly atmospheric and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not appreciate the past? “Sadly they do not have education and taste. It’s all about business. We are attempting as a country to move towards the west. But we are still not yet close from such cultural awareness,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking persisted, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Hope in Action

Some buildings are crumbling because of institutional abandonment. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons made their home among its smashed windows; debris lay under a fairytale tower. “Frequently we are unsuccessful,” she admitted. “Preservation work is therapy for us. We are striving to save all this heritage and aesthetic value.”

In the face of war and development pressures, these volunteers continue their work, one building at a time, arguing that to rebuild a city’s soul, you must first cherish its walls.