Preserving the Capital's Heritage: A City Reconstructing Its Foundations in the Shadow of War.

Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her freshly fitted front door. Local helpers had affectionately dubbed its elegant transom window the “crescent roll”, a lighthearted tribute to its arched shape. “I think it’s more of a showy bird,” she remarked, appreciating its tree limb-inspired features. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who commemorated the work with two impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an expression of opposition in the face of 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 most positive way. Fear does not drive us of remaining in Ukraine. I could have left, starting anew to Italy. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance represents our commitment to our homeland.”

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

Preserving Kyiv’s built legacy seems unusual at a moment when drone attacks frequently hit the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, offensive operations have been notably increased. After each strike, workers cover shattered windows with plywood and try, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Within the Explosions, a Battle for Beauty

Despite the violence, 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 historic Shevchenkivskyi district. It was constructed in 1906 and was first the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its outer walls is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare nowadays,” Danylenko said. The residence was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings nearby exhibit comparable art nouveau features, including an irregular shape – with a gothic tower on one side and a projection on the other. One much-loved house in the area boasts two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Several Dangers to Heritage

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who knock down protected buildings, corrupt officials and a governing class unconcerned or resistant to the city’s vast architectural history. The severe winter climate imposes another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We lack real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He alleged the city’s leadership was closely associated with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov stated that the vision for the capital harks back to a bygone era. The mayor denies these claims, stating they come 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 ongoing conflict meant that the entire society was facing economic hardship, he added, including those in the legal system who inexplicably ruled in favour of dubious new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see decline of our society and state bodies,” he argued.

Demolition and Abandonment

One glaring example of destruction is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had pledged to preserve its picturesque brick facade. A day after the full-scale invasion, diggers razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new retail and office development, watched by a unfriendly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was faint chance for the remaining blue-green houses on the site. Sometimes developers destroyed old properties while claiming they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A 20th-century empire also wrought immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could allow for military vehicles.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most prominent advocates of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was lost his life in 2022 while serving in the frontline. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his crucial preservation work. There were initially 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s prosperous business magnates. Only 80 of their authentic doors remain, she said.

“It was not external attacks that got rid of them. It was us,” she said with regret. “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 characterful vine-clad house built in 1910, which acts as the headquarters of her cultural organization and also serves as a film set and museum. The property has a new crimson entrance and period-correct railings; inside is a vintage sanitary facility and antique mirrors.

“The war could go on for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now little will be left.”

The building’s resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “very cool and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not value the past? “Regrettably they do not have education and taste. It’s all about business. We are trying as a country to integrate with the west. But we are still not yet close from that standard,” he said. Previous ways of thinking remained, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Resilience in Restoration

Some buildings are crumbling because of institutional abandonment. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons made their home among its shattered windows; rubbish lay under a whimsical tower. “Many times we don’t win,” she conceded. “Preservation work is a form of healing for us. We are trying to save all this heritage and beauty.”

In the face of war and neglect, these volunteers continue their work, one building at a time, arguing that to preserve a city’s heart, you must first protect its stones.