Preserving Kyiv's Heritage: An Urban Center Reconstructing Itself Under the Threat of War.

Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her newly installed front door. The restoration team had given the moniker its ornate transom window the “crescent roll”, a playful reference to its arched shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a showy bird,” she commented, admiring its tree limb-inspired details. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who marked the occasion with several impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an expression of opposition in the face of an invading force, she explained: “We are trying to live like everyday people despite the war. It’s about shaping our life in the best possible way. We have no fear of staying in our country. I had the option to depart, relocating to a foreign land. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance shows our dedication to our homeland.”

“We are trying to live like normal people in spite of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the optimal way.”

Protecting Kyiv’s historic buildings could be considered unusual at a time when aerial assaults routinely fall the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, aerial raids have been dramatically stepped up. After each attack, workers cover blown-out windows with plywood and try, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Amid the Explosions, a Campaign for Beauty

In the midst of war, a collective of activists has been striving to save the city’s decaying mansions, built in a playful style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the central Shevchenkivskyi district. It was built in 1906 and was first the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its facade is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon nowadays,” Danylenko noted. The residence was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings close by exhibit analogous art nouveau elements, including an irregular shape – with a pointed turret on one side and a small tower on the other. One much-loved house in the area displays two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Dual Dangers to History

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who demolish historically significant buildings, dishonest officials and a administrative body indifferent or resistant to the city’s profound architectural history. The bitter winter climate presents another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We lack genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed 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 bygone era. The mayor has refuted these claims, stating they come from political rivals.

Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once defended older properties were now serving in the military or had been killed. The ongoing conflict meant that everyone 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 persists the more we see degradation of our society and governing institutions,” he contended.

Loss 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 committed to preserve its attractive brick facade. A day after the full-scale invasion, excavators demolished it. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new retail and office development, observed by a unfriendly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was little optimism for the remaining blue-green houses on the site. Sometimes developers demolished old properties while claiming they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A previous regime also wrought immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its central boulevard after the second world war so it could facilitate official processions.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most prominent defenders of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was fell in 2022 while engaged in the frontline. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his crucial preservation work. There were originally 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s prosperous entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their period doors survived, she said.

“It was not external attacks that eliminated them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could last another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now nothing will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful ivy-draped 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 red door and period-correct railings; inside is a historic washroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could last another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now little will be left.”

The building’s occupant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens not cherish the past? “Unfortunately they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are trying as a country to go to the west. But we are still a way off from civilization,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking lingered, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Therapy in Action

Some buildings are collapsing because of official neglect. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons made their home among its smashed windows; refuse lay under a storybook tower. “Many times we don’t win,” she acknowledged. “Preservation work is a form of healing for us. We are striving to save all this heritage and splendour.”

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