Preserving Kyiv's Heritage: A City Reconstructing Itself Amidst the Onslaught of War.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her freshly fitted front door. Volunteers had given the moniker its ornate transom window the “croissant”, a whimsical nod to its bowed shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a showy bird,” she remarked, appreciating its branch-like features. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who commemorated the work with a couple of neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an expression of defiance against an invading force, she elaborated: “We are trying to live like everyday people in spite of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the optimal way. Fear does not drive us of remaining in our homeland. I could have left, moving away to another European nation. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our allegiance to our homeland.”

“Our aim is to live like everyday people despite the war. It’s about organizing our life in the best possible way.”

Safeguarding Kyiv’s historic buildings may appear strange at a period when aerial assaults frequently hit the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, bombing campaigns have been dramatically stepped up. After each strike, workers board up shattered windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Amid the Bombs, a Battle for Identity

Amid the bombs, a collective of activists has been attempting to preserve 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 originally the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its outer walls is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare nowadays,” Danylenko noted. The residence was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings close by exhibit comparable art nouveau characteristics, including a lack of symmetry – with a medieval spire 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 Dangers to History

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who knock down historically significant buildings, corrupt officials and a administrative body indifferent or resistant to the city’s vast architectural history. The bitter winter climate imposes another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We are missing real 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 flatten important houses. Perov added that the plan for the capital comes straight out of a different time. The mayor denies these claims, stating they come from political rivals.

Perov said many of the public-spirited activists who once protected older properties were now fighting on the frontline or had been lost. The lengthy conflict meant that all citizens was facing monetary strain, he added, including judicial figures who curiously ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see deterioration of our society and public institutions,” he argued.

Loss and Neglect

One egregious example of destruction is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had pledged to preserve its picturesque brick facade. Shortly following the full-scale invasion, heavy machinery razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new retail and office development, watched by a stern security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was little optimism for the remaining blue-green houses on the site. Sometimes developers demolished old properties while stating they were doing “archaeological research”, he said. A former political system also wrought immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its primary street after the second world war so it could allow for official processions.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most prominent advocates of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was killed in 2022 while serving in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his important preservation work. There were initially 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s wealthy business magnates. Only 80 of their authentic doors remain, she said.

“It was not aerial bombardments that eliminated them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could last another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now nothing will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique creeper-covered 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 vermilion portal and original-style railings; inside is a period bathroom and antique mirrors.

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

The building’s resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “incredibly atmospheric and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens not value the past? “Regrettably they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are attempting as a country to integrate with the west. But we are still not yet close from that standard,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking lingered, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Resilience in Action

Some buildings are falling apart because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons made their home among its broken windows; refuse lay under a fairytale tower. “Many times we are unsuccessful,” she acknowledged. “Restoration is a form of healing for us. We are striving to save all this heritage and aesthetic value.”

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