Protecting Kyiv's Heritage: An Urban Center Reconstructing Itself Under the Threat of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her freshly fitted front door. Local helpers had given the moniker its ornate transom window the “pastry”, a lighthearted tribute to its curved shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a showy bird,” she remarked, gazing at its twig-detailed details. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who marked the occasion with a couple of impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an expression of defiance against a foreign power, she elaborated: “We are trying to live like normal people despite the war. It’s about arranging our life in the best possible way. We have no fear of staying in our country. The possibility to emigrate existed, moving away to a foreign land. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance represents our dedication to our homeland.”

“We are trying to live like ordinary people despite the war. It’s about organizing our life in the optimal way.”

Safeguarding Kyiv’s built legacy seems paradoxical at a moment when drone attacks regularly target the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, offensive operations have been significantly intensified. After each assault, workers cover blown-out windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Amid the Bombs, a Campaign for Beauty

In the midst of war, a group of activists has been working to conserve the city’s decaying mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the central Shevchenkivskyi district. It was built in 1906 and was originally the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its facade is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare today,” Danylenko said. The residence was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings nearby exhibit comparable art nouveau characteristics, including a lack of symmetry – with a medieval spire on one side and a small tower on the other. One popular house in the area boasts two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Several Threats to Heritage

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who demolish protected buildings, unethical officials and a governing class apathetic or hostile to the city’s profound architectural history. The harsh winter climate imposes another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We lack 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 added that the vision 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 community-oriented activists who once protected older properties were now fighting on the frontline or had been lost. The ongoing conflict meant that everyone was facing economic hardship, he added, including those in the legal system who inexplicably ruled in favour of dubious new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see deterioration of our society and governing institutions,” he contended.

Loss and Neglect

One egregious demolition site is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had committed to preserve its picturesque brick facade. Shortly following the full-scale invasion, excavators demolished it. Recently, a crane prepared 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 turquoise-painted houses on the site. Sometimes developers demolished old properties while stating they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A 20th-century empire also inflicted immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its central boulevard after the second world war so it could accommodate official processions.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most notable advocates of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was fell in 2022 while serving in the frontline. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his vital preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s prosperous entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their authentic doors survived, she said.

“It wasn’t external attacks that eliminated them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now little will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique vine-clad house built in 1910, which serves as the headquarters of her cultural organization and also serves as a film set and museum. The property has a new vermilion portal 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 “very cool and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens not value the past? “Regrettably they lack 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. Soviet-era ways of thinking remained, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Therapy in Preservation

Some buildings are collapsing because of official neglect. Chudna showed a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons nested among its shattered windows; debris lay under a whimsical tower. “Often we lose the battle,” she admitted. “Preservation work is a form of healing for us. We are attempting to save all this past and splendour.”

In the face of destruction and development pressures, these citizens continue their work, one door at a time, believing that to rebuild a city’s soul, you must first protect its walls.