Preserving Kyiv's Heritage: A City Reconstructing Itself Amidst the Onslaught of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her newly installed front door. Local helpers had playfully nicknamed its graceful transom window the “crescent roll”, a lighthearted tribute to its bowed shape. “I think it’s more of a showy bird,” she stated, appreciating its tree limb-inspired ornamentation. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who marked the occasion with several neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of resistance towards a foreign power, she elaborated: “We strive to live like everyday people regardless of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the optimal way. We have no fear of living in Ukraine. I had the option to depart, starting anew to another European nation. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance represents our dedication to our homeland.”

“Our aim is to live like everyday people despite the war. It’s about shaping our life in the best possible way.”

Protecting Kyiv’s historic buildings may appear unusual at a time when missile strikes frequently hit the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, bombing campaigns have been notably increased. After each strike, workers board up broken windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Among the Explosions, a Fight for Identity

Despite the violence, a group of activists has been working to conserve the city’s crumbling 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 first the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its outer walls is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon nowadays,” Danylenko stated. The building was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings close by exhibit analogous art nouveau characteristics, including a lack of symmetry – with a medieval spire on one side and a projection on the other. One beloved house in the area displays two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Multiple Threats to History

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who raze listed buildings, unethical officials and a political leadership apathetic or resistant to the city’s vast architectural history. The severe winter climate imposes another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where money wins. We lack 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 bulldoze important houses. Perov stated that the plan for the capital comes straight out of a bygone era. The mayor denies these claims, stating they come 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 fallen. The lengthy conflict meant that the entire society was facing financial problems, he added, including judicial figures who mysteriously ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see degradation of our society and governing institutions,” he contended.

Destruction and Neglect

One egregious location of loss is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had pledged to preserve its attractive brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the full-scale invasion, heavy machinery razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new retail and office development, monitored 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 levelled old properties while stating they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A 20th-century empire also wrought immense damage on the capital, rebuilding its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could accommodate military vehicles.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most prominent champions of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was fell in 2022 while fighting in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his crucial preservation work. There were originally 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s prosperous industrialists. Only 80 of their period doors are still in existence, she said.

“It wasn’t foreign rockets that eliminated them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could last another 20 years. If we fail to protect 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 vermilion portal and period-correct railings; inside is a vintage sanitary facility and antique mirrors.

“The war could go on for another 20 years. If we fail to protect 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 move towards the west. But we are still some distance away from such cultural awareness,” he said. Previous ways of thinking persisted, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Hope in Preservation

Some buildings are falling apart because of official neglect. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons made their home among its smashed windows; rubbish lay under a storybook tower. “Frequently we don’t win,” she acknowledged. “This activity is therapy for us. We are attempting to save all this heritage and beauty.”

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