Safeguarding the Capital's Heritage: An Urban Center Rebuilding Its Foundations Under the Threat of War.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her freshly fitted front door. Local helpers had affectionately dubbed its graceful transom window the “croissant”, a lighthearted tribute to its curved shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a peacock,” she stated, admiring its branch-like features. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who celebrated with a couple of neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an expression of defiance towards a neighboring state, she clarified: “We strive to live like everyday people despite the war. It’s about shaping our life in the most positive way. Fear does not drive us of staying in Ukraine. I could have left, starting anew to Italy. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our dedication to our homeland.”

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

Preserving Kyiv’s historic buildings may appear paradoxical at a period 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 assault, workers cover blown-out windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Within the Explosions, a Battle for History

Amid the bombs, a band of activists has been working to save the city’s crumbling mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the downtown Shevchenkivskyi district. It was built in 1906 and was first the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its outer walls is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare nowadays,” Danylenko noted. The mansion was designed by a designer of Central European origin. Several other buildings close by display analogous art nouveau features, including an irregular shape – with a pointed turret on one side and a turret on the other. One popular house in the area features two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Multiple Threats to History

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who raze historically significant buildings, corrupt officials and a governing class apathetic or hostile to the city’s rich architectural history. The bitter winter climate adds another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We don’t have genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s leadership was closely associated with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov further alleged that the vision for the capital comes straight out of a bygone era. The mayor rejects these claims, attributing them from political rivals.

Perov said many of the public-spirited activists who once championed older properties were now serving in the military or had been killed. The lengthy conflict meant that the entire society was facing monetary strain, he added, including judicial figures who mysteriously ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see decline of our society and public institutions,” he argued.

Demolition and Neglect

One glaring example of destruction is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had agreed to preserve its attractive brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the 2022 invasion, diggers tore it down. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new shopping and business centre, watched by a stern security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was little optimism for the remaining turquoise-painted houses on the site. Sometimes developers demolished old properties while asserting they were doing “archaeological research”, he said. A 20th-century empire also caused immense damage on the capital, redesigning its primary street after the second world war so it could facilitate official processions.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most renowned advocates 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 persevering in his crucial preservation work. There were initially 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s successful entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their authentic doors survived, she said.

“It was not foreign rockets that got rid of them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could last another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now little will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful vine-clad house built in 1910, which functions as the headquarters of her cultural organization and also serves as a film set and museum. The property has a new red door and period-correct railings; inside is a vintage sanitary facility and antique mirrors.

“The war could last another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now nothing will be left.”

The building’s tenant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “incredibly atmospheric and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens not cherish the past? “Unfortunately they do not have education and taste. It’s all about business. We are trying as a country to move towards the west. But we are still not yet close from such cultural awareness,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking persisted, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Hope in Restoration

Some buildings are falling apart because of official neglect. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons nested among its smashed windows; debris lay under a fairytale tower. “Many times we are unsuccessful,” she conceded. “Preservation work is a coping mechanism for us. We are striving to save all this history and aesthetic value.”

In the face of destruction and development pressures, these activists continue their work, one building at a time, believing that to rebuild a city’s soul, you must first cherish its history.