Protecting the Capital's Heritage: An Urban Center Rebuilding Its Foundations Under the Threat of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her newly installed front door. The restoration team had affectionately dubbed its ornate transom window the “pastry”, a playful reference to its arched shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a peafowl,” she stated, admiring its twig-detailed ornamentation. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who marked the occasion with a couple of lively pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of resistance in the face of a foreign power, she clarified: “Our aim is to live like everyday people despite the war. It’s about shaping our life in the best possible way. Fear does not drive us of staying in our homeland. The possibility to emigrate existed, moving away to a foreign land. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our commitment to our homeland.”

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

Safeguarding Kyiv’s architectural heritage seems strange at a time when drone attacks regularly target the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, offensive operations have been notably increased. After each strike, workers cover shattered windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Amid the Explosions, a Campaign for History

Despite the violence, a collective of activists has been working to save 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 first 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 in the present day,” Danylenko stated. The mansion was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings nearby display analogous art nouveau characteristics, including an irregular shape – 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 Dangers to Heritage

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who knock down historically significant buildings, unethical officials and a governing class apathetic or opposed to the city’s vast architectural history. The severe winter climate presents another difficulty.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We lack real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s mayor was allied with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov stated that the plan for the capital harks back to a previous decade. The mayor denies these claims, attributing them from political rivals.

Perov said many of the community-oriented activists who once protected older properties were now engaged in combat or had been killed. The ongoing conflict meant that all citizens was facing monetary strain, he added, including those in the legal system who mysteriously ruled in favour of dubious new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see deterioration of our society and governing institutions,” he contended.

Destruction and Neglect

One glaring 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. In the immediate aftermath of the 2022 invasion, diggers tore it down. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new shopping and business centre, observed by a surly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was not much hope for the remaining turquoise-painted houses on the site. Sometimes developers demolished old properties while stating they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A former political system also inflicted immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could facilitate official processions.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most prominent defenders of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was lost his life in 2022 while serving in the frontline. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his vital preservation work. There were initially 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s successful business magnates. Only 80 of their authentic doors are still in existence, she said.

“It wasn’t aerial bombardments that destroyed them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now not a thing will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique creeper-covered house built in 1910, which serves as the headquarters of her cultural organization and doubles as a film set and museum. The property has a new crimson entrance and authentic railings; inside is a vintage sanitary facility 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 tenant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens not appreciate the past? “Sadly they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are attempting as a country to integrate with the west. But we are still a way off from civilization,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking lingered, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Hope in Restoration

Some buildings are crumbling because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons nested among its smashed windows; refuse lay under a whimsical tower. “Frequently we don’t win,” she conceded. “Restoration is a coping mechanism for us. We are attempting to save all this history and splendour.”

In the face of destruction and development pressures, these activists continue their work, one facade at a time, arguing that to rebuild a city’s heart, you must first cherish its stones.