Preserving Kyiv's Heritage: An Urban Center Reconstructing Its Foundations Amidst the Onslaught of War.

Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her freshly fitted front door. Local helpers had playfully nicknamed its ornate transom window the “croissant”, a whimsical nod to its bowed shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a showy bird,” she commented, admiring its tree limb-inspired features. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who celebrated with two impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an act of opposition towards an invading force, she explained: “We strive to live like ordinary people despite the war. It’s about arranging our life in the most positive way. We’re not afraid of staying in our homeland. I had the option to depart, starting anew to a foreign land. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our commitment to our homeland.”

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

Preserving Kyiv’s built legacy could be considered paradoxical at a time when drone attacks routinely fall the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, aerial raids have been notably increased. After each attack, workers cover broken windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Within the Bombs, a Campaign for Beauty

In the midst of war, a band of activists has been attempting to conserve the city’s crumbling mansions, built in a distinctive style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the historic Shevchenkivskyi district. It was erected in 1906 and was initially the home of a affluent fur dealer. Its exterior is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon today,” Danylenko said. The mansion was designed by a designer of Central European origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity exhibit analogous art nouveau features, including asymmetry – with a medieval spire on one side and a small tower on the other. One popular house in the area features two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Multiple Threats to Legacy

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who demolish listed buildings, unethical officials and a administrative body apathetic or resistant to the city’s vast architectural history. The severe winter climate adds another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We are missing real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s mayor was allied with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov further alleged that the concept for the capital harks back to a different time. The mayor denies these claims, saying they originate 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 protracted conflict meant that all citizens was facing monetary strain, he added, including those in the legal system who mysteriously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see decline of our society and public institutions,” he contended.

Destruction and Neglect

One notorious location of loss is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had pledged to preserve its picturesque brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the 2022 invasion, diggers tore it down. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new retail and office development, watched by a stern security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was little optimism for the remaining turquoise-painted houses on the site. Sometimes developers demolished old properties while claiming they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A former political system also caused immense damage on the capital, rebuilding its primary street after the second world war so it could facilitate military vehicles.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most renowned advocates of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was lost his life 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 initially 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s wealthy entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their period doors survived, 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 neglect architecture now nothing 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 vermilion portal and authentic railings; inside is a historic washroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could continue for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now nothing will be left.”

The building’s occupant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not cherish the past? “Sadly 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. Previous ways of thinking lingered, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Resilience in Preservation

Some buildings are collapsing because of official neglect. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons nested among its broken windows; rubbish lay under a whimsical tower. “Often we don’t win,” she conceded. “Restoration is therapy for us. We are trying to save all this history and beauty.”

In the face of conflict and commercial interests, these activists continue their work, one facade at a time, believing that to save a city’s soul, you must first save its stones.