Safeguarding the Capital's Architectural Legacy: A City Reconstructing Itself in the Shadow of War.

Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her freshly fitted front door. Local helpers had playfully nicknamed its elegant transom window the “croissant”, a lighthearted tribute to its arched shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a peafowl,” she stated, admiring its branch-like details. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who commemorated the work with a couple of impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an expression of defiance towards an invading force, she explained: “We strive to live like normal people despite the war. It’s about organizing our life in the best possible way. We’re not afraid of living in our country. The possibility to emigrate existed, relocating to a foreign land. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance shows our allegiance to our homeland.”

“Our aim is to live like normal people regardless of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the best possible way.”

Safeguarding Kyiv’s historic buildings seems strange at a moment when aerial assaults frequently hit the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, bombing campaigns have been dramatically stepped up. After each assault, workers seal shattered windows with plywood and try, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Amid the Explosions, a Campaign for Identity

Amid the bombs, a band of activists has been striving to save 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 first the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its exterior is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon in the present day,” Danylenko noted. The mansion was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings close by showcase similar art nouveau features, including asymmetry – with a medieval spire on one side and a small tower on the other. One popular house in the area displays two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Several Threats to Heritage

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who knock down listed buildings, dishonest officials and a administrative body unconcerned or opposed to the city’s vast architectural history. The severe winter climate adds another difficulty.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We lack real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s mayor was allied with many of the developers who flatten important houses. Perov further alleged that the concept for the capital harks back to a previous decade. The mayor has refuted these claims, attributing them from political rivals.

Perov said many of the community-oriented activists who once protected older properties were now engaged in combat or had been killed. The lengthy conflict meant that all citizens was facing economic hardship, he added, including those in the legal system who mysteriously 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 contended.

Loss and Abandonment

One notorious location of loss is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had committed to preserve its charming brick facade. Shortly following the 2022 invasion, diggers demolished it. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new retail and office development, watched by a unfriendly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was not much hope for the remaining turquoise-painted houses on the site. Sometimes developers demolished old properties while asserting they were doing “archaeological research”, he said. A previous regime also wrought immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its central boulevard after the second world war so it could facilitate official processions.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most notable champions of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was fell in 2022 while serving in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his crucial preservation work. There were initially 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s wealthy business magnates. Only 80 of their period doors are still in existence, she said.

“It wasn’t aerial bombardments that got rid of them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now little 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 operates as a film set and museum. The property has a new vermilion portal and period-correct railings; inside is a historic washroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could go on for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now nothing will be left.”

The building’s tenant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “incredibly atmospheric and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not cherish the past? “Sadly they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are striving as a country to move towards the west. But we are still a way off from that standard,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking lingered, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Hope in Action

Some buildings are crumbling because of institutional abandonment. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons made their home among its broken windows; debris lay under a whimsical tower. “Many times we are unsuccessful,” she acknowledged. “Preservation work is a form of healing for us. We are striving to save all this past and splendour.”

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