Safeguarding Kyiv's Heritage: A City Rebuilding Its Foundations Amidst the Onslaught of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her recently completed front door. Volunteers had given the moniker its ornate transom window the “pastry”, a whimsical nod to its curved shape. “I think it’s more of a showy bird,” she remarked, appreciating its tree limb-inspired details. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who celebrated with a couple of impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an expression of opposition towards a neighboring state, she clarified: “Our aim is to live like everyday people in spite of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the most positive way. Fear does not drive us of remaining in our country. I had the option to depart, moving away to Italy. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our commitment to our homeland.”

“We strive to live like everyday people in spite of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the best possible way.”

Protecting Kyiv’s built legacy seems paradoxical at a moment when aerial assaults frequently hit the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, aerial raids have been notably increased. After each attack, workers seal broken windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Amid the Bombs, a Campaign for Beauty

Amid the bombs, a group of activists has been working to preserve 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 erected in 1906 and was first the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its exterior is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare in the present day,” Danylenko noted. The mansion was designed by a designer of Central European origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity display analogous art nouveau features, including a lack of symmetry – with a gothic tower on one side and a projection on the other. One beloved house in the area displays two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Several Threats to Heritage

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who knock down historically significant buildings, unethical officials and a political leadership unconcerned or opposed to the city’s rich architectural history. The harsh winter climate imposes another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We lack 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 bulldoze important houses. Perov stated that the concept for the capital harks back to a bygone era. The mayor denies these claims, attributing them from political rivals.

Perov said many of the public-spirited activists who once defended older properties were now engaged in combat or had been lost. The protracted conflict meant that all citizens was facing financial problems, he added, including judicial figures who mysteriously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see decline of our society and public institutions,” he argued.

Destruction and Neglect

One egregious demolition site is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had agreed to preserve its picturesque brick facade. Shortly following the full-scale invasion, diggers demolished it. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new retail and office development, monitored by a surly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was little optimism for the remaining coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled old properties while stating they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A former political system also inflicted immense damage on the capital, rebuilding its primary street after the second world war so it could allow for large-scale parades.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most prominent advocates of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was fell in 2022 while fighting in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his vital preservation work. There were originally 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s wealthy entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their period doors survived, she said.

“It was not aerial bombardments that eliminated them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now not a thing will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique ivy-draped 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 historic washroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could go on for another 20 years. If we fail to protect 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 residents not cherish the past? “Unfortunately they are without education and taste. It’s all about business. We are trying as a country to go to the west. But we are still not yet close from that standard,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking lingered, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Hope in Preservation

Some buildings are crumbling because of official neglect. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons made their home among its broken windows; rubbish lay under a fairytale tower. “Frequently we lose the battle,” she acknowledged. “This activity is a form of healing for us. We are attempting to save all this past and aesthetic value.”

In the face of conflict and neglect, these citizens continue their work, one building at a time, believing that to rebuild a city’s soul, you must first cherish its walls.