Preserving the Capital's Heritage: A City Rebuilding Its Foundations Under the Threat of War.

Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her newly installed front door. Volunteers had playfully nicknamed its graceful transom window the “croissant”, a playful reference to its bowed shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a peacock,” she commented, gazing at its tree limb-inspired ornamentation. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who celebrated with a couple of impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an act of defiance towards a neighboring state, she elaborated: “Our aim is to live like normal people despite the war. It’s about shaping our life in the best possible way. Fear does not drive us of living in our country. The possibility to emigrate existed, moving away to a foreign land. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our allegiance to our homeland.”

“Our aim is to live like everyday people regardless of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the most positive way.”

Preserving Kyiv’s architectural heritage could be considered strange at a moment when aerial assaults regularly target the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, aerial raids have been significantly intensified. After each attack, workers cover broken windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Amid the Conflict, a Fight for Identity

Despite the violence, a band of activists has been working to conserve the city’s crumbling mansions, built in a distinctive style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the central Shevchenkivskyi district. It was erected in 1906 and was initially the home of a affluent fur dealer. Its outer walls is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare today,” Danylenko stated. The mansion was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity showcase analogous art nouveau features, including a lack of symmetry – with a pointed turret on one side and a turret on the other. One beloved house in the area displays two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Several Threats to Heritage

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who knock down historically significant buildings, dishonest officials and a administrative body apathetic or hostile to the city’s vast architectural history. The harsh winter climate presents another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We don’t have real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s mayor was allied with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov further alleged that the vision for the capital harks back to a previous decade. The mayor has refuted 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 lost. The lengthy conflict meant that all citizens was facing financial problems, he added, including those in the legal system who mysteriously ruled in favour of dubious new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see deterioration of our society and governing institutions,” he contended.

Loss and Disregard

One egregious location of loss is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had pledged to preserve its picturesque brick facade. A day after the full-scale invasion, excavators tore it down. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new shopping and business centre, watched by a surly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was not much hope for the remaining blue-green houses on the site. Sometimes developers destroyed old properties while asserting they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A previous regime also caused immense damage on the capital, rebuilding its central boulevard after the second world war so it could facilitate large-scale parades.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most renowned champions of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was fell in 2022 while fighting in the frontline. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his important preservation work. There were originally 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s wealthy entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their authentic doors are still in existence, she said.

“It wasn’t external attacks that got rid of them. It was us,” she said with regret. “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 full of character vine-clad house built in 1910, which serves as the headquarters of her cultural organization and doubles as a film set and museum. The property has a new vermilion portal and original-style railings; inside is a period bathroom 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 “very cool and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not appreciate the past? “Regrettably 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 civilization,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking lingered, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Therapy in Action

Some buildings are collapsing because of official neglect. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons made their home among its shattered windows; rubbish lay under a fairytale tower. “Frequently we lose the battle,” she conceded. “Restoration is a form of healing for us. We are trying to save all this history and splendour.”

In the face of destruction and commercial interests, these activists continue their work, one door at a time, stating that to rebuild a city’s soul, you must first protect its walls.