Safeguarding the Capital's Heritage: An Urban Center Rebuilding Its Foundations in the Shadow of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her freshly fitted front door. Local helpers had playfully nicknamed its ornate transom window the “croissant”, a playful reference to its arched shape. “I think it’s more of a showy bird,” she remarked, gazing at its branch-like details. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who commemorated the work with several impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an expression of defiance against a foreign power, she elaborated: “Our aim is 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 staying in our country. The possibility to emigrate existed, starting anew to Italy. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance represents our dedication to our homeland.”

“We are trying to live like ordinary people despite the war. It’s about arranging our life in the most positive way.”

Safeguarding Kyiv’s architectural heritage may appear strange at a moment when missile strikes regularly target the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, aerial raids have been notably increased. After each strike, workers cover shattered windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Within the Conflict, a Fight for Identity

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

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce in the present day,” Danylenko said. The mansion was designed by a designer of Central European origin. Several other buildings close by showcase similar art nouveau features, including a lack of symmetry – with a gothic tower on one side and a small tower on the other. One beloved house in the area boasts two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Multiple Threats to Legacy

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who raze protected buildings, dishonest officials and a governing class apathetic or hostile to the city’s profound architectural history. The severe winter climate adds another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We don’t have genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He alleged the city’s mayor was friends with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov further alleged that the vision for the capital is reminiscent of a bygone era. The mayor rejects these claims, saying they originate from political rivals.

Perov said many of the community-oriented activists who once defended older properties were now serving in the military or had been killed. The protracted conflict meant that all citizens was facing monetary strain, he added, including judicial figures who inexplicably ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see decline of our society and governing institutions,” he argued.

Loss and Disregard

One egregious example of destruction is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had committed to preserve its picturesque brick facade. Shortly following the full-scale invasion, diggers tore it down. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new retail and office development, monitored by a unfriendly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was faint chance for the remaining coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled old properties while stating they were doing “archaeological research”, he said. A former political system also wrought immense damage on the capital, rebuilding its central boulevard after the second world war so it could facilitate official processions.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most prominent defenders of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was lost his life 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 stone mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s wealthy business magnates. Only 80 of their original doors remain, she said.

“It wasn’t external attacks that destroyed them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could last another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now nothing will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful creeper-covered 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 crimson entrance and original-style railings; inside is a vintage sanitary facility and antique mirrors.

“The war could last another 20 years. If we fail to protect 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 residents not cherish the past? “Unfortunately they do not have education and taste. It’s all about business. We are striving as a country to integrate with the west. But we are still some distance away from such cultural awareness,” he said. Previous ways of thinking lingered, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Hope in Restoration

Some buildings are collapsing because of institutional abandonment. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons nested among its broken windows; rubbish lay under a fairytale tower. “Often we don’t win,” she conceded. “Restoration is therapy for us. We are striving to save all this heritage and aesthetic value.”

In the face of conflict and commercial interests, these activists continue their work, one door at a time, believing that to save a city’s identity, you must first save its stones.