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

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her newly installed front door. Volunteers had given the moniker its ornate transom window the “crescent roll”, a lighthearted tribute to its arched shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a showy bird,” she remarked, appreciating its tree limb-inspired features. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who marked the occasion with several impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an act of opposition against an invading force, she explained: “We are trying to live like ordinary people in spite of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the best possible way. Fear does not drive us of living in our country. I had the option to depart, starting anew to Italy. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our dedication to our homeland.”

“We strive to live like ordinary people in spite of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the best possible way.”

Preserving Kyiv’s built legacy could be considered unusual at a moment when drone attacks regularly target the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, offensive operations have been notably increased. After each strike, workers seal shattered windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Among the Conflict, a Fight for Identity

Amid the bombs, a group of activists has been working to conserve the city’s decaying mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the historic Shevchenkivskyi district. It was built in 1906 and was initially the home of a affluent fur dealer. Its facade is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare nowadays,” Danylenko stated. The building was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity display similar art nouveau characteristics, including an irregular shape – with a pointed turret on one side and a small tower on the other. One much-loved house in the area features two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Dual Threats to Heritage

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who raze listed buildings, dishonest officials and a political leadership apathetic or hostile to the city’s vast architectural history. The severe winter climate adds another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where money wins. We don’t have substantive political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s mayor was allied with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov stated that the plan for the capital harks back to a previous decade. The mayor rejects these claims, saying they originate from political rivals.

Perov said many of the public-spirited activists who once championed older properties were now fighting on the frontline or had been fallen. The protracted conflict meant that the entire society was facing economic hardship, he added, including those in the legal system who curiously ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see deterioration of our society and public institutions,” he contended.

Demolition and Neglect

One notorious demolition site is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had pledged to preserve its picturesque brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the full-scale invasion, heavy machinery tore it down. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new commercial complex, observed by a surly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was not much hope for the remaining turquoise-painted houses on the site. Sometimes developers destroyed old properties while stating they were doing “archaeological research”, he said. A 20th-century empire also inflicted immense damage on the capital, redesigning its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could accommodate military vehicles.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most notable champions of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was fell in 2022 while engaged in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his crucial preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s successful industrialists. Only 80 of their original doors survived, she said.

“It wasn’t external attacks that destroyed them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could last another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now not a thing will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful 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 period-correct railings; inside is a period bathroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could continue for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now nothing will be left.”

The building’s resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “very cool and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens not appreciate the past? “Regrettably they are without education and taste. It’s all about business. We are striving as a country to go to the west. But we are still some distance away from such cultural awareness,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking persisted, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Resilience in Preservation

Some buildings are falling apart because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna showed a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons made their home among its smashed windows; debris lay under a whimsical tower. “Frequently we lose the battle,” she acknowledged. “This activity is a coping mechanism for us. We are trying to save all this heritage and splendour.”

In the face of conflict and neglect, these volunteers continue their work, one door at a time, stating that to save a city’s identity, you must first save its history.