Protecting the Capital's Heritage: An Urban Center Rebuilding Its Foundations Under the Threat of War.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her freshly fitted front door. The restoration team had affectionately dubbed its graceful transom window the “crescent roll”, a whimsical nod to its curved shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a showy bird,” she remarked, gazing at its twig-detailed details. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who commemorated the work with two neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an act of opposition in the face of an invading force, she explained: “We are trying to live like normal people regardless of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the most positive way. We have no fear of staying in Ukraine. I could have left, 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 shaping our life in the optimal way.”

Safeguarding Kyiv’s historic buildings may appear paradoxical at a moment when missile strikes frequently hit the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, bombing campaigns have been significantly intensified. After each strike, workers cover blown-out windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Within the Conflict, a Battle for Beauty

Amid the bombs, a group of activists has been attempting to conserve the city’s deteriorating 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 initially the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its outer walls is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare in the present day,” Danylenko stated. The building was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings nearby display analogous art nouveau characteristics, including asymmetry – with a pointed turret on one side and a turret on the other. One popular house in the area boasts two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Dual Threats to History

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who raze historically significant buildings, unethical officials and a political leadership indifferent or resistant to the city’s rich architectural history. The bitter winter climate adds another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where money wins. We are missing substantive political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He alleged the city’s mayor was allied with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov stated that the concept for the capital comes straight out of a different time. The mayor denies these claims, saying they originate from political rivals.

Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once defended older properties were now engaged in combat or had been killed. The ongoing conflict meant that everyone was facing monetary strain, he added, including those in the legal system who curiously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see degradation of our society and governing institutions,” he contended.

Loss and Neglect

One egregious example of destruction is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had pledged to preserve its picturesque brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the full-scale invasion, heavy machinery razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new commercial complex, 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 demolished old properties while asserting they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A former political system also caused immense damage on the capital, redesigning its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could allow for military vehicles.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most prominent champions of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was fell in 2022 while serving in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his important preservation work. There were initially 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s prosperous business magnates. Only 80 of their authentic doors survived, she said.

“It wasn’t foreign rockets that got rid of them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now not a thing will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique creeper-covered house built in 1910, which serves 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 neglect 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 residents not value the past? “Unfortunately 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 a way off from civilization,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking persisted, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Hope in Preservation

Some buildings are falling apart because of official neglect. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons nested among its shattered windows; refuse lay under a fairytale tower. “Frequently we lose the battle,” she admitted. “Restoration is a coping mechanism for us. We are attempting to save all this history and beauty.”

In the face of war and commercial interests, these citizens continue their work, one facade at a time, arguing that to save a city’s soul, you must first save its walls.