Protecting Kyiv's Heritage: A City Rebuilding Its Foundations Amidst the Onslaught of War.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her freshly fitted front door. The restoration team had given the moniker its ornate transom window the “pastry”, a whimsical nod to its curved shape. “I think it’s more of a showy bird,” she stated, gazing at its branch-like details. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who commemorated the work with several neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of opposition against a foreign power, she elaborated: “We are trying to live like ordinary people despite the war. It’s about shaping our life in the best possible way. We have no fear of staying in Ukraine. The possibility to emigrate existed, relocating to Italy. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our allegiance to our homeland.”

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

Safeguarding Kyiv’s architectural heritage may appear unusual at a period when missile strikes routinely fall the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, offensive operations have been notably increased. After each strike, workers seal blown-out windows with plywood and try, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Among the Bombs, a Battle for History

Amid the bombs, a collective 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 downtown Shevchenkivskyi district. It was constructed in 1906 and was originally the home of a affluent fur dealer. Its outer walls is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon today,” Danylenko stated. The residence was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity showcase similar art nouveau elements, including asymmetry – with a gothic tower on one side and a small tower on the other. One popular house in the area displays two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Multiple Threats to Legacy

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who knock down listed buildings, dishonest officials and a governing class apathetic or resistant to the city’s vast architectural history. The severe winter climate adds another difficulty.

“Kyiv is a city where money wins. We don’t have genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s leadership was allied with many of the developers who destroy 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 protected older properties were now serving in the military or had been fallen. The protracted conflict meant that the entire society was facing financial problems, he added, including those in the legal system who curiously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see decline of our society and state bodies,” he contended.

Demolition and Neglect

One egregious example of destruction is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had agreed to preserve its attractive brick facade. A day after the full-scale invasion, diggers tore it down. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new commercial complex, observed by a stern security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was faint chance for the remaining turquoise-painted houses on the site. Sometimes developers demolished old properties while asserting 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 facilitate military vehicles.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most renowned advocates 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 crucial preservation work. There were initially 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s prosperous entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their period doors remain, she said.

“It was not aerial bombardments that got rid of them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could last another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now not a thing will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a full of character creeper-covered house built in 1910, which acts as the headquarters of her cultural organization and operates as a film set and museum. The property has a new crimson entrance and authentic railings; inside is a vintage sanitary facility and antique mirrors.

“The war could continue for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now not a thing will be left.”

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

Hope in Preservation

Some buildings are collapsing because of institutional abandonment. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons nested among its broken windows; refuse lay under a fairytale tower. “Frequently we lose the battle,” she conceded. “This activity is a form of healing for us. We are trying to save all this history and splendour.”

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