Preserving Kyiv's Heritage: A City Reconstructing Itself in the Shadow of War.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her recently completed front door. Volunteers had given the moniker its elegant transom window the “croissant”, a whimsical nod to its bowed shape. “I think it’s more of a showy bird,” she remarked, appreciating its twig-detailed ornamentation. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who celebrated with two neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of defiance towards a neighboring state, she explained: “Our aim is to live like ordinary people in spite of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the best possible way. We have no fear of remaining in our homeland. I could have left, relocating to Italy. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our commitment to our homeland.”

“We are trying to live like ordinary people regardless of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the most positive way.”

Preserving Kyiv’s historic buildings seems unusual at a moment when missile strikes frequently hit the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, aerial raids have been significantly intensified. After each assault, workers cover broken windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Within the Bombs, a Battle for History

Despite the violence, a band of activists has been working to preserve 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 erected in 1906 and was originally the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its exterior is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce in the present day,” Danylenko noted. The residence was designed by a designer of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings nearby display similar art nouveau characteristics, including asymmetry – with a pointed turret on one side and a turret on the other. One much-loved house in the area displays two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Dual Threats to Legacy

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who raze protected buildings, unethical officials and a administrative body unconcerned or resistant to the city’s rich architectural history. The harsh winter climate presents another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We are missing real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He alleged the city’s leadership was allied with many of the developers who flatten important houses. Perov added that the concept for the capital is reminiscent of a previous decade. The mayor rejects these claims, saying they originate from political rivals.

Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once protected older properties were now serving in the military or had been lost. The ongoing conflict meant that all citizens was facing financial problems, he added, including judicial figures who inexplicably ruled in favour of dubious new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see degradation of our society and governing institutions,” he argued.

Loss and Neglect

One notorious demolition site is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had committed to preserve its attractive brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the full-scale invasion, excavators razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new commercial complex, monitored by a surly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was faint chance for the remaining blue-green houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled old properties while claiming they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A previous regime also caused immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its primary street after the second world war so it could allow for official processions.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most prominent defenders of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was fell in 2022 while fighting in the frontline. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were continuing his vital preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s prosperous industrialists. Only 80 of their period doors are still in existence, she said.

“It was not foreign rockets that destroyed them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now nothing will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful 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 original-style railings; inside is a historic washroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could continue for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now little 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 value the past? “Unfortunately they do not have education and taste. It’s all about business. We are attempting as a country to move towards the west. But we are still not yet close from such cultural awareness,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking persisted, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Resilience in Restoration

Some buildings are crumbling because of official neglect. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons roosted among its broken windows; debris lay under a storybook tower. “Many times we lose the battle,” she conceded. “Preservation work is therapy for us. We are trying to save all this history and beauty.”

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