Preserving Kyiv's Heritage: An Urban Center Reconstructing Itself Under the Threat of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her freshly fitted front door. Local helpers had given the moniker its graceful transom window the “croissant”, a whimsical nod to its bowed shape. “I think it’s more of a showy bird,” she stated, admiring its twig-detailed features. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who marked the occasion with a couple of impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an expression of opposition towards a neighboring state, she elaborated: “We are trying to live like normal people regardless of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the optimal way. We have no fear of remaining in our homeland. I could have left, relocating to Italy. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance represents our allegiance to our homeland.”

“Our aim is to live like everyday people in spite of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the best possible way.”

Preserving Kyiv’s architectural heritage could be considered paradoxical at a time when aerial assaults frequently hit the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, aerial raids have been significantly intensified. After each strike, workers seal shattered windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Among the Conflict, a Fight for Identity

Amid the bombs, a collective of activists has been attempting to conserve the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a playful 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 affluent fur dealer. Its facade is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare in the present day,” Danylenko stated. The mansion was designed by a designer of Central European origin. Several other buildings close by showcase similar art nouveau characteristics, including an irregular shape – with a pointed turret on one side and a turret on the other. One beloved house in the area boasts two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Several Dangers to Heritage

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who raze protected buildings, unethical officials and a administrative body indifferent or opposed to the city’s vast architectural history. The severe winter climate adds another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where money wins. We don’t have real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s leadership was closely associated with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov added that the vision for the capital comes straight out of a previous decade. The mayor denies these claims, stating they come from political rivals.

Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once protected older properties were now fighting on the frontline or had been lost. The protracted conflict meant that all citizens was facing monetary strain, he added, including judicial figures who inexplicably ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see deterioration of our society and state bodies,” he contended.

Loss and Abandonment

One glaring location of loss is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had pledged to preserve its picturesque brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the full-scale invasion, excavators razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new retail and office development, watched by a stern 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 “archaeological research”, he said. A previous regime also wrought immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its central boulevard after the second world war so it could facilitate military vehicles.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most prominent advocates of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was lost his life in 2022 while engaged in the frontline. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were continuing his important preservation work. There were originally 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s wealthy entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their authentic doors are still in existence, she said.

“It was not external attacks that eliminated them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now little will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique ivy-draped house built in 1910, which functions as the headquarters of her cultural organization and doubles as a film set and museum. The property has a new vermilion portal and original-style railings; inside is a historic washroom 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 “incredibly atmospheric and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not value the past? “Unfortunately they are without education and taste. It’s all about business. We are striving as a country to integrate with the west. But we are still a way off from civilization,” he said. Previous ways of thinking persisted, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Therapy in Preservation

Some buildings are crumbling because of official neglect. Chudna showed a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons made their home among its smashed windows; debris lay under a whimsical tower. “Often we are unsuccessful,” she acknowledged. “Preservation work is a coping mechanism for us. We are striving to save all this history and beauty.”

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