Safeguarding Kyiv's Heritage: A City Rebuilding Its Foundations Amidst the Onslaught of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her newly installed front door. Local helpers had playfully nicknamed its graceful transom window the “croissant”, a whimsical nod to its curved shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a peafowl,” she stated, gazing at its twig-detailed features. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who marked the occasion with several neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an expression of defiance towards a foreign power, she explained: “Our aim is to live like normal people despite the war. It’s about organizing our life in the optimal way. We have no fear of remaining in Ukraine. The possibility to emigrate existed, starting anew to a foreign land. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our commitment to our homeland.”

“Our aim is to live like normal people despite the war. It’s about arranging our life in the optimal way.”

Preserving Kyiv’s architectural heritage seems paradoxical at a period when drone attacks frequently hit the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, aerial raids have been significantly intensified. After each attack, workers cover shattered windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Among the Bombs, a Fight for History

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 historic Shevchenkivskyi district. It was constructed in 1906 and was originally the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its facade is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare today,” Danylenko said. The building was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity exhibit similar art nouveau features, including asymmetry – with a medieval spire on one side and a turret on the other. One beloved house in the area displays two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Dual Challenges to History

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who raze historically significant buildings, dishonest officials and a governing class apathetic or hostile to the city’s rich architectural history. The bitter winter climate imposes another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We are missing 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 bulldoze important houses. Perov further alleged that the concept for the capital comes straight out of a previous decade. The mayor denies these claims, saying they originate from political rivals.

Perov said many of the community-oriented activists who once championed older properties were now engaged in combat or had been lost. The lengthy conflict meant that everyone was facing economic hardship, he added, including those in the legal system who inexplicably ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see degradation of our society and state bodies,” he argued.

Destruction and Disregard

One notorious example of destruction is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had committed to preserve its charming brick facade. Shortly following the full-scale invasion, heavy machinery tore it down. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new retail and office development, monitored by a surly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was not much hope for the remaining coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers destroyed old properties while stating they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A former political system also caused immense damage on the capital, redesigning its primary street after the second world war so it could accommodate large-scale parades.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most notable champions of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was fell in 2022 while engaged in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his crucial preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s successful entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their period doors survived, she said.

“It wasn’t aerial bombardments that eliminated them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could go on 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 unique creeper-covered house built in 1910, which serves as the headquarters of her cultural organization and operates as a film set and museum. The property has a new crimson entrance and original-style railings; inside is a vintage sanitary facility and antique mirrors.

“The war could last another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now little will be left.”

The building’s tenant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “very cool and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not value the past? “Regrettably they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are striving as a country to integrate with the west. But we are still a way off from civilization,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking persisted, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Resilience in Preservation

Some buildings are crumbling because of institutional abandonment. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons roosted among its smashed windows; debris lay under a whimsical tower. “Many times we don’t win,” she conceded. “Restoration is a coping mechanism for us. We are trying to save all this past and beauty.”

In the face of war and commercial interests, these volunteers continue their work, one building at a time, believing that to preserve a city’s soul, you must first cherish its walls.