Protecting the Capital's Heritage: A City Reconstructing Its Foundations in the Shadow of War.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her freshly fitted front door. Volunteers had playfully nicknamed its graceful transom window the “crescent roll”, a playful reference to its bowed shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a peafowl,” she stated, appreciating its tree limb-inspired features. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who commemorated the work with two neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an act of defiance in the face of a foreign power, she clarified: “We are trying to live like normal people despite the war. It’s about arranging our life in the most positive way. We’re not afraid of living in Ukraine. The possibility to emigrate existed, relocating to a foreign land. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance represents our allegiance to our homeland.”

“We strive to live like everyday people regardless of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the optimal way.”

Protecting Kyiv’s architectural heritage could be considered unusual at a moment when missile strikes frequently hit the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, offensive operations have been dramatically stepped up. After each assault, workers board up blown-out windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Within the Conflict, a Fight for History

Despite the violence, a collective of activists has been striving to save 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 built in 1906 and was initially the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its facade is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare in the present day,” Danylenko noted. The residence was designed by a designer of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings nearby showcase analogous art nouveau characteristics, including a lack of symmetry – with a medieval spire on one side and a small tower on the other. One much-loved house in the area displays two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Dual Challenges to Heritage

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who demolish protected buildings, dishonest officials and a political leadership indifferent or resistant to the city’s vast architectural history. The bitter winter climate adds another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We are missing real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s leadership was closely associated with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov added that the plan for the capital is reminiscent of a bygone era. The mayor has refuted these claims, stating they come from political rivals.

Perov said many of the community-oriented activists who once protected older properties were now serving in the military or had been killed. The protracted conflict meant that all citizens was facing monetary strain, he added, including those in the legal system who curiously ruled in favour of dubious new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see decline of our society and public institutions,” he contended.

Demolition and Abandonment

One glaring demolition site is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had pledged to preserve its attractive brick facade. A day after the 2022 invasion, excavators tore it down. Recently, a crane dug 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 destroyed old properties while claiming they were doing “historical excavation”, 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 allow for official processions.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most renowned defenders of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was fell in 2022 while fighting in a eastern city. 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 prosperous business magnates. Only 80 of their authentic doors survived, she said.

“It wasn’t foreign rockets that eliminated them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now little will be left,” she added. 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 original-style railings; inside is a vintage sanitary facility and antique mirrors.

“The war could go on for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now not a thing 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 value the past? “Unfortunately they do not have education and taste. It’s all about business. We are striving as a country to go to the west. But we are still a way off from civilization,” he said. Previous ways of thinking lingered, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Hope in Action

Some buildings are collapsing because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna showed a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons nested among its shattered windows; debris lay under a fairytale tower. “Often we don’t win,” she acknowledged. “Restoration is a form of healing for us. We are attempting to save all this past and aesthetic value.”

In the face of war and commercial interests, these volunteers continue their work, one building at a time, arguing that to rebuild a city’s soul, you must first protect its history.