Safeguarding Kyiv's Heritage: A City Rebuilding Itself Under the Threat of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her freshly fitted front door. The restoration team had affectionately dubbed its ornate transom window the “pastry”, a playful reference to its arched shape. “I think it’s more of a peafowl,” she stated, admiring its branch-like ornamentation. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who marked the occasion with several lively pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of opposition towards a neighboring state, she elaborated: “Our aim is to live like normal people regardless of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the best possible way. We’re not afraid of living in our country. I could have left, relocating to another European nation. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance shows our allegiance to our homeland.”

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

Safeguarding Kyiv’s historic buildings could be considered unusual at a time when aerial assaults frequently hit the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, offensive operations have been notably increased. After each strike, workers seal blown-out windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Among the Conflict, a Campaign for Identity

Despite the violence, a collective of activists has been striving to conserve the city’s deteriorating 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 delicate camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce nowadays,” Danylenko noted. The residence was designed by a designer of Central European origin. Several other buildings close by display similar art nouveau characteristics, including a lack of symmetry – with a pointed turret on one side and a small tower on the other. One beloved house in the area boasts two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Dual Threats to History

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who demolish historically significant buildings, dishonest officials and a governing class indifferent or resistant to the city’s vast architectural history. The severe winter climate presents another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where money wins. We don’t have genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s mayor was closely associated with many of the developers who flatten important houses. Perov added that the plan for the capital is reminiscent of a previous decade. The mayor rejects these claims, saying they originate from political rivals.

Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once defended older properties were now fighting on the frontline or had been fallen. The ongoing conflict meant that the entire society was facing monetary strain, he added, including those in the legal system who inexplicably ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see degradation of our society and public institutions,” he argued.

Demolition and Abandonment

One glaring location of loss is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had agreed to preserve its charming brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the 2022 invasion, diggers razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new commercial complex, monitored by a surly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was not much hope for the remaining turquoise-painted houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled old properties while claiming they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A former political system also inflicted immense damage on the capital, redesigning its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could facilitate military vehicles.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most prominent defenders 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 continuing his important preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s successful business magnates. Only 80 of their authentic doors survived, she said.

“It was not foreign rockets that got rid of them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could last another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now not a thing will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique creeper-covered house built in 1910, which functions as the headquarters of her cultural organization and also serves as a film set and museum. The property has a new red door 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 little will be left.”

The building’s resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens not appreciate the past? “Regrettably they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are striving as a country to move towards the west. But we are still not yet close from such cultural awareness,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking persisted, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Hope in Restoration

Some buildings are collapsing because of official neglect. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons roosted among its shattered windows; rubbish lay under a storybook tower. “Many times we are unsuccessful,” she acknowledged. “Restoration is a coping mechanism for us. We are trying to save all this past and beauty.”

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