Safeguarding the Capital's Heritage: A City Reconstructing Itself Amidst the Onslaught of War.

Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her recently completed front door. The restoration team had playfully nicknamed its elegant transom window the “crescent roll”, a lighthearted tribute to its curved shape. “I think it’s more of a peafowl,” she commented, appreciating its tree limb-inspired features. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who celebrated with a couple of lively pavement parties.

It was also an expression of defiance in the face of an invading force, she explained: “Our aim is to live like normal people regardless of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the best possible way. We have no fear of living in our homeland. I could have left, moving away to Italy. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our dedication to our homeland.”

“We are trying to live like everyday people in spite of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the most positive way.”

Protecting Kyiv’s historic buildings seems strange at a time when missile strikes regularly target the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, bombing campaigns have been significantly intensified. After each strike, workers cover shattered windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Among the Explosions, a Battle for Beauty

In the midst of war, a collective of activists has been working to conserve 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 constructed in 1906 and was initially the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its outer walls is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare in the present day,” Danylenko stated. The residence was designed by a designer of Central European origin. Several other buildings close by exhibit analogous art nouveau characteristics, including asymmetry – with a medieval spire on one side and a turret on the other. One much-loved house in the area boasts two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Multiple Dangers to History

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who knock down historically significant buildings, corrupt officials and a administrative body indifferent or hostile to the city’s profound architectural history. The severe winter climate imposes another difficulty.

“Kyiv is a city where money wins. We are missing substantive political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He alleged the city’s mayor was friends with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov added that the vision for the capital is reminiscent of a different time. The mayor has refuted these claims, saying they originate from political rivals.

Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once championed older properties were now fighting on the frontline or had been lost. The ongoing conflict meant that all citizens was facing financial problems, he added, including judicial figures who mysteriously ruled in favour of dubious new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see degradation of our society and public institutions,” he argued.

Loss and Neglect

One egregious location of loss 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. A day after the full-scale invasion, excavators razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new retail and office development, monitored by a surly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was little optimism for the remaining coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers demolished old properties while claiming they were doing “archaeological research”, he said. A 20th-century empire also wrought immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could allow for official processions.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most notable champions of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was fell in 2022 while fighting in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his important preservation work. There were originally 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s successful industrialists. Only 80 of their original doors survived, she said.

“It wasn’t aerial bombardments that got rid of them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now little will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique vine-clad house built in 1910, which acts as the headquarters of her cultural organization and operates as a film set and museum. The property has a new vermilion portal and original-style 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 resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not appreciate the past? “Unfortunately they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are attempting as a country to integrate with the west. But we are still some distance away from that standard,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking remained, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Hope in Restoration

Some buildings are crumbling because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna showed a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons nested among its shattered windows; debris lay under a fairytale tower. “Frequently we don’t win,” she admitted. “Preservation work is a coping mechanism for us. We are trying to save all this heritage and beauty.”

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