Preserving the Capital's Heritage: A City Reconstructing Its Foundations Under the Threat of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her recently completed front door. Volunteers had playfully nicknamed its ornate transom window the “pastry”, a lighthearted tribute to its bowed shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a showy bird,” she commented, appreciating its tree limb-inspired details. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who commemorated the work with two lively pavement parties.

It was also an act of resistance in the face of an invading force, she explained: “We are trying to live like everyday people despite the war. It’s about organizing our life in the most positive way. We’re not afraid of living in Ukraine. I had the option to depart, starting anew to Italy. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance shows our commitment to our homeland.”

“We strive to live like ordinary people in spite of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the optimal way.”

Safeguarding Kyiv’s historic buildings seems paradoxical at a moment when drone attacks regularly target the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, offensive operations have been notably increased. After each attack, workers seal blown-out windows with plywood and try, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Among the Bombs, a Campaign for History

Amid the bombs, a band of activists has been attempting to preserve the city’s decaying mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the downtown Shevchenkivskyi district. It was built in 1906 and was originally the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its outer walls is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon today,” Danylenko stated. The building was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings nearby exhibit comparable art nouveau characteristics, including a lack of symmetry – with a gothic tower on one side and a projection on the other. One popular house in the area displays two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Dual Challenges to Legacy

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who demolish historically significant buildings, unethical officials and a administrative body apathetic or hostile to the city’s rich architectural history. The harsh winter climate adds another difficulty.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We lack substantive political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s leadership was allied with many of the developers who flatten important houses. Perov added that the plan for the capital is reminiscent of a previous decade. The mayor has refuted these claims, attributing them 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 fallen. The protracted conflict meant that everyone was facing financial problems, he added, including those in the legal system who curiously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see decline of our society and state bodies,” he remarked.

Destruction and Disregard

One egregious example of destruction is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had pledged 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, observed by a surly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was little optimism for the remaining turquoise-painted houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled old properties while claiming they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A previous regime also wrought immense damage on the capital, redesigning its central boulevard after the second world war so it could allow for military vehicles.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most renowned champions of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was fell in 2022 while serving in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his vital preservation work. There were initially 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s prosperous business magnates. Only 80 of their original doors survived, she said.

“It wasn’t external attacks that destroyed them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could last another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now nothing will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a full of character ivy-draped house built in 1910, which serves as the headquarters of her cultural organization and operates as a film set and museum. The property has a new red door and period-correct railings; inside is a period bathroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could go on for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now not a thing will be left.”

The building’s resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special 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 trying as a country to go to the west. But we are still not yet close from civilization,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking remained, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Therapy in Action

Some buildings are collapsing because of official neglect. Chudna showed a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons roosted among its broken windows; debris lay under a whimsical tower. “Many times we don’t win,” she acknowledged. “Preservation work is a form of healing for us. We are attempting to save all this heritage and aesthetic value.”

In the face of conflict and commercial interests, these citizens continue their work, one facade at a time, arguing that to rebuild a city’s heart, you must first protect its history.