Safeguarding the Capital's Heritage: An Urban Center Reconstructing Itself Amidst the Onslaught of War.

Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her newly installed front door. Volunteers had given the moniker its elegant transom window the “crescent roll”, a lighthearted tribute to its arched shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a showy bird,” she commented, gazing at its tree limb-inspired details. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who celebrated with two neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an act of resistance in the face of a foreign power, she explained: “We strive to live like normal people regardless of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the best possible way. Fear does not drive us of living in our homeland. I could have left, 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 normal people despite the war. It’s about arranging our life in the optimal way.”

Protecting Kyiv’s built legacy seems strange at a time when aerial assaults frequently hit the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, offensive operations have been dramatically stepped up. After each assault, workers cover broken windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Among the Conflict, a Fight for Identity

Despite the violence, a group of activists has been striving to preserve the city’s crumbling mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the historic Shevchenkivskyi district. It was erected in 1906 and was first the home of a affluent fur dealer. Its facade is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare in the present day,” Danylenko stated. The building was designed by a designer of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity exhibit similar art nouveau elements, including asymmetry – with a pointed turret on one side and a projection on the other. One popular house in the area boasts two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Several Threats to Legacy

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who demolish listed buildings, dishonest officials and a governing class unconcerned or hostile to the city’s vast architectural history. The bitter winter climate imposes another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We lack genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He alleged the city’s leadership was allied with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov further alleged that the concept for the capital comes straight out of a bygone era. The mayor denies 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 killed. The ongoing conflict meant that the entire society was facing monetary strain, he added, including those in the legal system who curiously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see decline of our society and governing institutions,” he contended.

Demolition and Abandonment

One glaring 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 agreed to preserve its picturesque brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the onset of major hostilities, diggers demolished it. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new commercial complex, watched 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 destroyed old properties while claiming they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A previous regime also wrought immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its primary street after the second world war so it could allow for military vehicles.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most notable defenders of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was killed in 2022 while fighting in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his important preservation work. There were originally 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s prosperous entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their original doors are still in existence, she said.

“It was not external attacks that eliminated them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now not a thing will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a full of character vine-clad house built in 1910, which functions 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 period bathroom and antique mirrors.

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

The building’s occupant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “very cool and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens not appreciate the past? “Sadly they are without education and taste. It’s all about business. We are trying as a country to integrate with the west. But we are still some distance away from that standard,” he said. Previous ways of thinking lingered, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Therapy in Preservation

Some buildings are falling apart because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons roosted among its smashed windows; refuse lay under a fairytale tower. “Frequently we are unsuccessful,” she admitted. “Preservation work is therapy for us. We are attempting to save all this history and aesthetic value.”

In the face of war and development pressures, these citizens continue their work, one door at a time, stating that to save a city’s identity, you must first save its walls.