Safeguarding Kyiv's Heritage: An Urban Center Rebuilding Itself Under the Threat of War.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her recently completed front door. Volunteers had given the moniker its elegant transom window the “pastry”, a playful reference to its arched shape. “I think it’s more of a peafowl,” she remarked, admiring its twig-detailed features. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who commemorated the work with two impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an act of opposition in the face of an invading force, she explained: “Our aim is to live like ordinary people despite the war. It’s about arranging our life in the best possible way. Fear does not drive us of living in our country. The possibility to emigrate existed, relocating to a foreign land. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance represents our dedication to our homeland.”

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

Preserving Kyiv’s architectural heritage could be considered paradoxical at a period when aerial assaults regularly target the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, aerial raids have been significantly intensified. After each strike, workers board up shattered windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Among the Bombs, a Fight for Identity

In the midst of war, a collective of activists has been striving to save 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 built in 1906 and was first the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its exterior is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce nowadays,” Danylenko stated. The mansion was designed by a designer of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings nearby display similar art nouveau characteristics, including an irregular shape – with a pointed turret on one side and a projection on the other. One much-loved house in the area displays two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Multiple Threats to Heritage

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who raze listed buildings, dishonest officials and a political leadership indifferent or hostile to the city’s rich architectural history. The severe winter climate presents another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We are missing real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s mayor was friends with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov stated that the vision for the capital harks back to a previous decade. The mayor rejects these claims, attributing them from political rivals.

Perov said many of the public-spirited activists who once defended older properties were now serving in the military or had been killed. The lengthy conflict meant that all citizens was facing economic hardship, he added, including those in the legal system who curiously ruled in favour of dubious new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see deterioration of our society and state bodies,” he argued.

Demolition and Neglect

One notorious example of destruction is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had committed to preserve its picturesque brick facade. Shortly following the full-scale invasion, diggers tore it down. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new retail and office development, watched by a surly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was faint chance for the remaining coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers destroyed old properties while stating they were doing “archaeological research”, he said. A previous regime also inflicted immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its primary street after the second world war so it could facilitate military vehicles.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most notable defenders of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was lost his life in 2022 while serving 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 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s wealthy industrialists. Only 80 of their original doors survived, she said.

“It was not aerial bombardments that destroyed them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now nothing will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a full of character ivy-draped house built in 1910, which functions as the headquarters of her cultural organization and also serves as a film set and museum. The property has a new crimson entrance and period-correct railings; inside is a period bathroom 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 “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not appreciate the past? “Sadly they do not have education and taste. It’s all about business. We are trying as a country to move towards the west. But we are still some distance away from civilization,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking persisted, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Hope in Action

Some buildings are falling apart because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons roosted among its smashed windows; rubbish lay under a storybook tower. “Many times we don’t win,” she admitted. “Preservation work is therapy for us. We are striving to save all this history and splendour.”

In the face of war and commercial interests, these citizens continue their work, one facade at a time, arguing that to preserve a city’s identity, you must first cherish its stones.