Safeguarding Kyiv's Heritage: A City Rebuilding Itself Under the Threat of War.

Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her newly installed front door. The restoration team had playfully nicknamed its ornate transom window the “croissant”, a whimsical nod to its curved shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a peacock,” she remarked, gazing at its tree limb-inspired features. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who commemorated the work with several neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an expression of resistance towards a foreign power, she clarified: “Our aim is to live like ordinary people in spite of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the most positive way. Fear does not drive us of living in our country. The possibility to emigrate existed, relocating to Italy. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance represents our dedication to our homeland.”

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

Preserving Kyiv’s architectural heritage seems strange at a moment when missile strikes regularly target the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, bombing campaigns have been notably increased. After each attack, workers cover shattered windows with plywood and try, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Within the Explosions, a Fight for History

In the midst of war, a group of activists has been attempting to preserve the city’s crumbling 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 originally the home of a affluent fur dealer. Its outer walls is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare in the present day,” Danylenko said. The building was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings close by exhibit analogous art nouveau elements, including a lack of symmetry – with a medieval spire on one side and a turret on the other. One popular house in the area features two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Multiple Threats to History

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who knock down listed buildings, corrupt officials and a political leadership unconcerned or resistant to the city’s vast architectural history. The severe winter climate adds another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We lack substantive political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s mayor was closely associated with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov added that the plan for the capital comes straight out of a previous decade. The mayor rejects these claims, stating they come from political rivals.

Perov said many of the public-spirited activists who once protected older properties were now serving in the military or had been fallen. The protracted conflict meant that all citizens was facing financial problems, he added, including those in the legal system who mysteriously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see degradation of our society and state bodies,” he contended.

Demolition and Disregard

One egregious demolition site is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had committed to preserve its attractive brick facade. Shortly following 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 surly 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 claiming they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A 20th-century empire also inflicted immense damage on the capital, rebuilding its central boulevard after the second world war so it could accommodate military vehicles.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most notable champions of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was lost his life in 2022 while fighting in the frontline. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his crucial preservation work. There were originally 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s prosperous entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their original doors are still in existence, she said.

“It was not external attacks that got rid of them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now little will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a full of character vine-clad 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 red door and original-style railings; inside is a period bathroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could continue for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now little 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? “Sadly they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are trying as a country to integrate with the west. But we are still some distance away from civilization,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking remained, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Therapy in Restoration

Some buildings are collapsing because of official neglect. Chudna showed a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons made their home among its broken windows; rubbish lay under a fairytale tower. “Frequently we lose the battle,” she acknowledged. “Preservation work is therapy for us. We are striving to save all this heritage and beauty.”

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