Safeguarding Kyiv's Heritage: An Urban Center Reconstructing Its Foundations Amidst the Onslaught of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her newly installed front door. The restoration team had given the moniker its graceful transom window the “croissant”, a whimsical nod to its bowed shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a peacock,” she remarked, appreciating its branch-like features. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who celebrated with several neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of resistance against an invading force, she elaborated: “We strive to live like normal people despite the war. It’s about arranging our life in the most positive way. We have no fear of staying 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.”

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

Protecting Kyiv’s built legacy could be considered strange at a period when aerial assaults regularly target the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, aerial raids have been dramatically stepped up. After each attack, workers seal shattered windows with plywood and try, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Amid the Bombs, a Battle for Identity

In the midst of war, a collective of activists has been striving to preserve the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a playful style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the historic Shevchenkivskyi district. It was built in 1906 and was originally the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its outer walls is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare today,” Danylenko stated. The residence was designed by a designer of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity exhibit similar art nouveau features, 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 features two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Dual Challenges to Legacy

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who knock down historically significant buildings, unethical officials and a administrative body unconcerned or hostile to the city’s rich architectural history. The harsh winter climate adds another difficulty.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We don’t have genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s mayor was friends with many of the developers who flatten important houses. Perov further alleged that the vision for the capital is reminiscent of a different time. The mayor rejects these claims, attributing them 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 lost. The ongoing conflict meant that all citizens was facing financial problems, he added, including those in the legal system who mysteriously ruled in favour of dubious new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see decline of our society and public institutions,” he remarked.

Loss and Neglect

One egregious example of destruction is in the riverside 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 onset of major hostilities, heavy machinery tore it down. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new commercial complex, monitored 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 levelled old properties while claiming they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A former political system also wrought immense damage on the capital, rebuilding its central boulevard after the second world war so it could accommodate military vehicles.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most notable advocates of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was killed in 2022 while serving in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his important preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s wealthy business magnates. Only 80 of their authentic doors remain, she said.

“It was not aerial bombardments 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 characterful vine-clad 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 crimson entrance and original-style railings; inside is a period bathroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could last another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now not a thing will be left.”

The building’s resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “very cool and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not appreciate the past? “Sadly they are without education and taste. It’s all about business. We are striving as a country to go to the west. But we are still not yet close from civilization,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking remained, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Therapy in Action

Some buildings are falling apart because of institutional abandonment. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons roosted among its broken windows; debris lay under a storybook 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 splendour.”

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