Safeguarding the Capital's Heritage: An Urban Center Rebuilding Itself in the Shadow of War.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her newly installed front door. Volunteers had given the moniker its ornate transom window the “croissant”, a lighthearted tribute to its arched shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a showy bird,” she remarked, admiring its tree limb-inspired ornamentation. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who celebrated with a couple of lively pavement parties.

It was also an act of defiance in the face of a neighboring state, she explained: “We are trying to live like normal people regardless of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the best possible way. We have no fear of remaining in our country. The possibility to emigrate existed, starting anew to a foreign land. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance represents our allegiance to our homeland.”

“We strive to live like everyday people regardless of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the most positive way.”

Protecting Kyiv’s historic buildings may appear paradoxical at a moment when aerial assaults routinely fall the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, bombing campaigns have been significantly intensified. After each attack, workers cover shattered windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Amid the Bombs, a Campaign for History

In the midst of war, a group of activists has been attempting to save the city’s decaying mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the central Shevchenkivskyi district. It was constructed in 1906 and was first the home of a affluent fur dealer. Its outer walls is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce nowadays,” Danylenko stated. The building was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings nearby showcase similar art nouveau elements, including asymmetry – with a medieval spire on one side and a turret on the other. One beloved house in the area boasts two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Dual Dangers to History

But external attacks 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 rich architectural history. The severe winter climate adds another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We are missing substantive political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s mayor was friends with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov added that the vision for the capital is reminiscent of a previous decade. The mayor has refuted these claims, saying they originate from political rivals.

Perov said many of the community-oriented activists who once defended older properties were now engaged in combat or had been fallen. The lengthy conflict meant that everyone was facing financial problems, he added, including judicial figures who curiously ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see degradation of our society and governing institutions,” he remarked.

Demolition and Disregard

One notorious location of loss is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had agreed to preserve its attractive brick facade. A day after the onset of major hostilities, excavators razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new retail and office development, observed by a unfriendly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was little optimism for the remaining turquoise-painted houses on the site. Sometimes developers destroyed old properties while claiming they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A previous regime also inflicted immense damage on the capital, redesigning its central boulevard after the second world war so it could allow for large-scale parades.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most notable defenders of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was killed in 2022 while engaged in the frontline. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his important preservation work. There were initially 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s wealthy business magnates. Only 80 of their period doors remain, she said.

“It was not external attacks that got rid of them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now nothing will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful ivy-draped house built in 1910, which serves 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 historic washroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could last another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now not a thing 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 appreciate the past? “Regrettably they are without education and taste. It’s all about business. We are trying as a country to go to the west. But we are still some distance away from civilization,” he said. Previous ways of thinking persisted, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Therapy in Action

Some buildings are crumbling because of institutional abandonment. Chudna showed a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons made their home among its broken windows; debris lay under a fairytale tower. “Many times we are unsuccessful,” she admitted. “This activity is a form of healing for us. We are trying to save all this past and splendour.”

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