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

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her recently completed front door. The restoration team had playfully nicknamed its elegant transom window the “pastry”, a whimsical nod to its bowed shape. “I think it’s more of a peafowl,” she remarked, appreciating its twig-detailed features. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who commemorated the work with a couple of impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an expression of defiance towards an invading force, she clarified: “We strive to live like ordinary people despite the war. It’s about organizing our life in the most positive way. We have no fear of remaining in Ukraine. I had the option to depart, relocating to a foreign land. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our commitment to our homeland.”

“We strive to live like normal people regardless of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the most positive way.”

Preserving Kyiv’s built legacy may appear paradoxical at a time when drone attacks regularly target the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, aerial raids have been dramatically stepped up. After each assault, workers seal shattered windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Within the Conflict, a Battle for Beauty

In the midst of war, a band of activists has been working to save the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a playful style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the central Shevchenkivskyi district. It was erected in 1906 and was initially the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its outer walls is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce today,” Danylenko noted. The building was designed by a designer of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings nearby display similar art nouveau characteristics, including an irregular shape – with a medieval spire 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 devil.

Dual Dangers to History

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who raze protected buildings, unethical officials and a administrative body unconcerned or resistant to the city’s profound architectural history. The harsh winter climate presents another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where money wins. We don’t have genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s leadership was allied with many of the developers who flatten important houses. Perov further alleged that the concept for the capital is reminiscent of a different time. The mayor rejects these claims, stating they come from political rivals.

Perov said many of the community-oriented activists who once championed older properties were now engaged in combat or had been lost. The lengthy conflict meant that the entire society was facing financial problems, he added, including judicial figures who mysteriously ruled in favour of dubious new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see decline of our society and governing institutions,” he contended.

Loss and Disregard

One glaring example of destruction is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had committed to preserve its attractive brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the onset of major hostilities, excavators tore it down. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new commercial complex, watched by a unfriendly 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, redesigning its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could accommodate official processions.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most prominent champions of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was killed in 2022 while engaged in the frontline. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his vital preservation work. There were originally 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s wealthy entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their authentic doors are still in existence, she said.

“It wasn’t aerial bombardments that eliminated them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could last another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now little will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful ivy-draped 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 crimson entrance and period-correct 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 nothing will be left.”

The building’s tenant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “very cool and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not cherish the past? “Regrettably they do not have education and taste. It’s all about business. We are trying as a country to go to the west. But we are still some distance away from that standard,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking lingered, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Resilience in Restoration

Some buildings are crumbling because of institutional abandonment. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons nested among its shattered windows; debris lay under a fairytale tower. “Many times we lose the battle,” she acknowledged. “Restoration is therapy for us. We are striving to save all this past and aesthetic value.”

In the face of destruction and neglect, these volunteers continue their work, one facade at a time, stating that to rebuild a city’s heart, you must first cherish its walls.