Protecting the Capital's Architectural Legacy: A City Reconstructing Its Foundations in the Shadow of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her recently completed front door. Local helpers had playfully nicknamed its graceful transom window the “crescent roll”, a whimsical nod to its curved shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a peacock,” she stated, gazing at its twig-detailed ornamentation. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who marked the occasion with a couple of impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an act of resistance towards an invading force, she clarified: “Our aim is to live like normal people in spite of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the most positive way. Fear does not drive us of living in our country. The possibility to emigrate existed, starting anew to a foreign land. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance represents our allegiance to our homeland.”

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

Preserving Kyiv’s architectural heritage could be considered strange at a period when drone attacks regularly target the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, aerial raids have been notably increased. After each attack, workers board up broken windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Within the Explosions, a Fight for Identity

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

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon nowadays,” Danylenko noted. The residence was designed by a designer of Central European origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity exhibit similar art nouveau features, including a lack of symmetry – with a medieval spire on one side and a projection on the other. One beloved house in the area features two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Several Dangers to Legacy

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who demolish listed buildings, unethical officials and a political leadership indifferent or hostile to the city’s vast architectural history. The bitter winter climate imposes another difficulty.

“Kyiv is a city where money wins. We are missing genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s leadership was closely associated with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov stated 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 defended older properties were now engaged in combat or had been fallen. The ongoing conflict meant that all citizens was facing monetary strain, he added, including those in the legal system who inexplicably ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see deterioration of our society and public institutions,” he remarked.

Loss and Neglect

One notorious example of destruction is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had agreed to preserve its picturesque brick facade. Shortly following the 2022 invasion, diggers tore it down. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new retail and office development, watched by a surly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was little optimism for the remaining turquoise-painted houses on the site. Sometimes developers demolished old properties while stating they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A former political system also inflicted immense damage on the capital, rebuilding its primary street after the second world war so it could accommodate large-scale parades.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most renowned champions of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was lost his life in 2022 while serving in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were continuing his vital preservation work. There were initially 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s prosperous entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their period doors are still in existence, she said.

“It was not aerial bombardments that eliminated them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now nothing will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a full of character vine-clad 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 authentic 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 little will be left.”

The building’s occupant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “incredibly atmospheric 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 attempting 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 persisted, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Resilience in Restoration

Some buildings are collapsing because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons nested among its shattered windows; refuse lay under a whimsical tower. “Frequently we don’t win,” she admitted. “This activity is therapy for us. We are striving to save all this heritage and splendour.”

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