Protecting Kyiv's Heritage: An Urban Center Rebuilding Itself Under the Threat of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her newly installed front door. Local helpers had affectionately dubbed its graceful transom window the “croissant”, a playful reference to its curved shape. “I think it’s more of a peafowl,” she remarked, gazing at its twig-detailed ornamentation. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who commemorated the work with two impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of defiance against a neighboring state, she explained: “We are trying to live like everyday people in spite of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the most positive way. We’re not afraid of staying in Ukraine. I had the option to depart, moving away to Italy. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our commitment to our homeland.”

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

Preserving Kyiv’s historic buildings seems unusual at a moment when drone attacks regularly target the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, aerial raids have been notably increased. After each attack, workers seal blown-out windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Amid the Conflict, a Campaign for Identity

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

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce in the present day,” Danylenko said. The mansion was designed by a designer of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings close by showcase similar art nouveau elements, including asymmetry – with a gothic tower on one side and a projection on the other. One popular house in the area features two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Dual Threats to History

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who raze protected buildings, unethical officials and a governing class indifferent or opposed to the city’s profound architectural history. The bitter winter climate imposes another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We lack substantive political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s leadership was friends with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov added that the concept for the capital comes straight out 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 defended older properties were now fighting on the frontline or had been fallen. The lengthy conflict meant that all citizens was facing economic hardship, he added, including those in the legal system who mysteriously ruled in favour of dubious new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see degradation of our society and governing institutions,” he argued.

Destruction and Disregard

One egregious example of destruction is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had committed to preserve its charming brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the 2022 invasion, diggers demolished it. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new shopping and business centre, observed by a stern 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 “historical excavation”, he said. A former political system also wrought immense damage on the capital, redesigning its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could accommodate large-scale parades.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most renowned champions of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was fell in 2022 while engaged 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 prosperous entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their authentic doors survived, she said.

“It wasn’t foreign rockets that destroyed them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now little will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful ivy-draped house built in 1910, which serves as the headquarters of her cultural organization and doubles as a film set and museum. The property has a new crimson entrance and period-correct railings; inside is a historic washroom and antique mirrors.

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

The building’s resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “very cool and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not value the past? “Unfortunately 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 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.

Hope in Restoration

Some buildings are collapsing because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons made their home among its broken windows; rubbish lay under a whimsical tower. “Frequently we lose the battle,” she acknowledged. “This activity is a form of healing for us. We are trying to save all this past and splendour.”

In the face of destruction and commercial interests, these citizens continue their work, one building at a time, arguing that to preserve a city’s soul, you must first protect its walls.