Protecting Kyiv's Heritage: An Urban Center Rebuilding Itself Amidst the Onslaught of War.

Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her newly installed front door. Local helpers had affectionately dubbed its ornate transom window the “croissant”, a whimsical nod to its bowed shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a peacock,” she commented, admiring its branch-like features. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who marked the occasion with a couple of neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of resistance against a neighboring state, she elaborated: “Our aim is to live like normal people regardless of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the best possible way. We’re not afraid of remaining in Ukraine. I had the option to depart, relocating to Italy. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance represents our commitment to our homeland.”

“We are trying to live like ordinary people in spite of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the best possible way.”

Preserving Kyiv’s architectural heritage may appear strange at a moment when missile strikes routinely fall the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, offensive operations have been notably increased. After each assault, workers cover blown-out windows with plywood and try, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Among the Explosions, a Fight for Beauty

In the midst of war, a band of activists has been working to preserve the city’s crumbling mansions, built in a playful style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the historic Shevchenkivskyi district. It was built in 1906 and was originally the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its facade is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce nowadays,” Danylenko noted. The mansion was designed by a designer of Central European origin. Several other buildings nearby showcase similar art nouveau features, including an irregular shape – with a medieval spire on one side and a turret on the other. One beloved house in the area boasts two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Dual Challenges to Heritage

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who raze historically significant buildings, dishonest officials and a administrative body unconcerned or hostile to the city’s rich architectural history. The severe winter climate adds another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where money wins. We don’t have genuine 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 bulldoze important houses. Perov added that the vision for the capital comes straight out of a different time. The mayor rejects these claims, attributing them from political rivals.

Perov said many of the community-oriented activists who once championed older properties were now serving in the military or had been killed. The lengthy conflict meant that all citizens was facing financial problems, he added, including judicial figures who inexplicably ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see deterioration of our society and state bodies,” he remarked.

Demolition and Disregard

One glaring demolition site is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had agreed to preserve its charming brick facade. A day after the full-scale invasion, excavators tore it down. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new retail and office development, watched by a stern security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was not much hope for the remaining blue-green houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled old properties while asserting they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A previous regime also inflicted immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its primary street after the second world war so it could facilitate official processions.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most renowned defenders of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was killed in 2022 while engaged in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were continuing his vital preservation work. There were initially 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s successful business magnates. Only 80 of their original doors are still in existence, she said.

“It was not foreign rockets that got rid of them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could continue 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 characterful vine-clad house built in 1910, which acts 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 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 resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not value the past? “Sadly they are without education and taste. It’s all about business. We are trying as a country to move towards the west. But we are still not yet close from such cultural awareness,” he said. Previous ways of thinking remained, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Resilience in Restoration

Some buildings are collapsing because of institutional abandonment. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons roosted among its shattered windows; refuse lay under a storybook tower. “Frequently we lose the battle,” she acknowledged. “This activity is a coping mechanism for us. We are attempting to save all this past and beauty.”

In the face of destruction and commercial interests, these volunteers continue their work, one door at a time, arguing that to save a city’s heart, you must first protect its walls.