Safeguarding Kyiv's Heritage: A City Rebuilding Itself Amidst the Onslaught of War.

Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her freshly fitted front door. Volunteers had affectionately dubbed its ornate transom window the “crescent roll”, a whimsical nod to its arched shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a showy bird,” she commented, appreciating its tree limb-inspired details. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who marked the occasion with two neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an act of opposition towards a neighboring state, she elaborated: “Our aim is to live like everyday people regardless of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the best possible way. We’re not afraid of staying in our country. I could have left, starting anew to Italy. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance represents our allegiance to our homeland.”

“Our aim is to live like everyday people in spite of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the most positive way.”

Safeguarding Kyiv’s built legacy could be considered unusual at a time when drone attacks routinely fall the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, bombing campaigns have been dramatically stepped up. After each strike, workers seal shattered windows with plywood and try, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Amid the Conflict, a Battle for Beauty

Amid the bombs, a band of activists has been attempting to preserve the city’s crumbling 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 prosperous 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 noted. The building was designed by a designer of Central European origin. Several other buildings close by display similar art nouveau characteristics, including asymmetry – with a gothic tower on one side and a small tower on the other. One beloved house in the area displays two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Several Challenges to Heritage

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who knock down protected buildings, corrupt officials and a administrative body apathetic or opposed to the city’s vast architectural history. The bitter winter climate adds another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where money wins. We are missing substantive political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He alleged the city’s mayor was closely associated with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov further alleged that the concept for the capital harks back to a previous decade. The mayor denies 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 ongoing conflict meant that everyone was facing economic hardship, he added, including judicial figures who inexplicably ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see deterioration of our society and state bodies,” he remarked.

Loss and Neglect

One egregious example of destruction is in the historic 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 2022 invasion, diggers demolished it. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new commercial complex, monitored by a surly security guard.

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

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most prominent champions of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was fell in 2022 while fighting in the frontline. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his vital preservation work. There were initially 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s wealthy business magnates. Only 80 of their authentic doors survived, she said.

“It was not external attacks that destroyed them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now not a thing will be left,” she added. 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 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 nothing will be left.”

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

Hope in Preservation

Some buildings are collapsing because of institutional abandonment. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons made their home among its shattered windows; debris lay under a storybook tower. “Frequently we lose the battle,” she acknowledged. “Restoration is a form of healing for us. We are attempting to save all this past and splendour.”

In the face of destruction and development pressures, these volunteers continue their work, one facade at a time, arguing that to rebuild a city’s identity, you must first cherish its stones.