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

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her newly installed front door. Local helpers had playfully nicknamed its elegant transom window the “croissant”, a whimsical nod to its curved shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a peacock,” she stated, appreciating its branch-like features. 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 neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an expression of resistance against a neighboring state, she clarified: “We are trying to live like normal people in spite of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the most positive way. We have no fear of staying in Ukraine. I had the option to depart, relocating to another European nation. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our allegiance to our homeland.”

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

Protecting Kyiv’s architectural heritage may appear unusual at a moment when missile strikes routinely fall the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, bombing campaigns have been dramatically stepped up. After each attack, workers cover blown-out windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Among the Explosions, a Battle for Identity

Amid the bombs, a band of activists has been attempting to preserve the city’s decaying 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 affluent fur dealer. Its exterior is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare nowadays,” Danylenko stated. The building was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings nearby showcase comparable art nouveau elements, including an irregular shape – with a medieval spire on one side and a small tower on the other. One much-loved house in the area boasts two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Multiple Threats to History

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who demolish protected buildings, unethical officials and a governing class apathetic or hostile to the city’s rich architectural history. The harsh winter climate adds another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We don’t have genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He alleged the city’s mayor was allied with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov added that the plan for the capital harks back to a previous decade. The mayor denies these claims, saying they originate from political rivals.

Perov said many of the public-spirited activists who once championed older properties were now serving in the military or had been fallen. The protracted conflict meant that the entire society was facing monetary strain, he added, including judicial figures who mysteriously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see deterioration of our society and public institutions,” he remarked.

Demolition and Disregard

One notorious demolition site is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had committed to preserve its attractive brick facade. Shortly following the 2022 invasion, diggers tore it down. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new commercial complex, monitored 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 demolished old properties while stating they were doing “historical excavation”, 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 official processions.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most renowned advocates of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was lost his life in 2022 while fighting in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his important preservation work. There were originally 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s wealthy business magnates. Only 80 of their period doors remain, she said.

“It wasn’t aerial bombardments that got rid of them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could last another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now little will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a full of character vine-clad house built in 1910, which acts as the headquarters of her cultural organization and doubles as a film set and museum. The property has a new crimson entrance and original-style 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 little will be left.”

The building’s resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens not value the past? “Unfortunately they are without education and taste. It’s all about business. We are trying as a country to move towards the west. But we are still not yet close from such cultural awareness,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking lingered, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Hope in Restoration

Some buildings are crumbling because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna showed a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons roosted among its broken windows; refuse lay under a whimsical tower. “Often we are unsuccessful,” she admitted. “Restoration is a form of healing for us. We are striving to save all this heritage and beauty.”

In the face of conflict and neglect, these activists continue their work, one facade at a time, stating that to preserve a city’s identity, you must first cherish its walls.