Protecting Kyiv's Architectural Legacy: A City Reconstructing Itself Amidst the Onslaught of War.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her recently completed front door. The restoration team had affectionately dubbed its elegant transom window the “pastry”, a lighthearted tribute to its arched shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a peacock,” 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 celebrated with two lively pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of defiance in the face of a neighboring state, she clarified: “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. I could have left, moving away to another European nation. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance represents our allegiance to our homeland.”

“We are trying to live like everyday people despite the war. It’s about organizing our life in the optimal way.”

Safeguarding Kyiv’s historic buildings may appear paradoxical at a moment when missile strikes routinely fall the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, bombing campaigns have been notably increased. After each attack, workers cover broken windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Amid the Explosions, a Fight for History

In the midst of war, a band of activists has been striving to preserve the city’s crumbling mansions, built in a distinctive style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the downtown Shevchenkivskyi district. It was constructed in 1906 and was first the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its facade is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce nowadays,” Danylenko said. The residence was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity display similar art nouveau elements, including asymmetry – with a pointed turret on one side and a projection on the other. One much-loved house in the area displays two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Multiple Dangers to Heritage

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who knock down protected buildings, dishonest officials and a administrative body indifferent or opposed to the city’s rich architectural history. The harsh winter climate imposes another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where money wins. We don’t have real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s mayor was friends with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov further alleged that the plan for the capital is reminiscent of a bygone era. The mayor rejects these claims, saying they originate from political rivals.

Perov said many of the community-oriented activists who once championed older properties were now fighting on the frontline or had been killed. The ongoing conflict meant that all citizens was facing economic hardship, he added, including those in the legal system who mysteriously ruled in favour of dubious new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see deterioration of our society and governing institutions,” he contended.

Demolition and Neglect

One notorious location of loss is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had agreed to preserve its charming brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the onset of major hostilities, heavy machinery razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new retail and office development, observed by a stern security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was not much hope for the remaining coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled old properties while claiming they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A 20th-century empire also wrought immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its central boulevard after the second world war so it could allow for official processions.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most prominent advocates of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was killed in 2022 while fighting in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his important preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s successful industrialists. Only 80 of their original doors survived, she said.

“It wasn’t aerial bombardments that got rid of them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now nothing will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a full of character creeper-covered house built in 1910, which functions as the headquarters of her cultural organization and also serves as a film set and museum. The property has a new red door and authentic railings; inside is a vintage sanitary facility and antique mirrors.

“The war could go on for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now little will be left.”

The building’s occupant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not cherish the past? “Unfortunately they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are striving as a country to go to the west. But we are still a way off from that standard,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking lingered, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Resilience in Action

Some buildings are collapsing because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons nested among its smashed windows; debris lay under a fairytale tower. “Often we don’t win,” she conceded. “Restoration is a coping mechanism for us. We are striving to save all this history and splendour.”

In the face of destruction and neglect, these activists continue their work, one facade at a time, believing that to save a city’s heart, you must first cherish its history.