Preserving the Capital's Heritage: An Urban Center Reconstructing Itself Amidst the Onslaught of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her recently completed front door. The restoration team had given the moniker its elegant transom window the “crescent roll”, a lighthearted tribute to its curved shape. “I think it’s more of a peacock,” she remarked, appreciating its twig-detailed details. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who celebrated with a couple of lively pavement parties.

It was also an act of defiance against a foreign power, she clarified: “We strive to live like ordinary people in spite of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the most positive way. We have no fear of living in Ukraine. I had the option to depart, moving away to Italy. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our dedication to our homeland.”

“Our aim is to live like ordinary people in spite of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the optimal way.”

Preserving Kyiv’s architectural heritage could be considered paradoxical at a period when aerial assaults routinely fall the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, offensive operations have been significantly intensified. After each attack, workers board up blown-out windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Amid the Conflict, a Battle for Beauty

In the midst of war, a group of activists has been striving to save the city’s decaying mansions, built in a playful 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 affluent fur dealer. Its facade is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce in the present day,” Danylenko stated. The building was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings nearby showcase comparable art nouveau features, including an irregular shape – with a pointed turret on one side and a small tower on the other. One beloved house in the area features two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Dual Threats to Legacy

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who raze listed buildings, unethical officials and a political leadership indifferent or hostile to the city’s vast architectural history. The bitter winter climate adds another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We don’t have real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s leadership was friends with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov stated that the plan for the capital is reminiscent of a previous decade. The mayor rejects these claims, attributing them from political rivals.

Perov said many of the public-spirited activists who once defended older properties were now serving in the military or had been killed. The protracted conflict meant that the entire society was facing economic hardship, he added, including those in the legal system who inexplicably ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see decline of our society and public institutions,” he contended.

Destruction and Neglect

One glaring example of destruction is in the waterside 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. In the immediate aftermath of the 2022 invasion, diggers razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new commercial complex, observed by a unfriendly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was little optimism for the remaining blue-green houses on the site. Sometimes developers destroyed old properties while asserting they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A former political system also caused immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its primary street after the second world war so it could allow for large-scale parades.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most notable advocates of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was lost his life in 2022 while serving in a eastern city. 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 wealthy business magnates. Only 80 of their original doors are still in existence, she said.

“It wasn’t foreign rockets that eliminated them. It was us,” she lamented. “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 full of character vine-clad house built in 1910, which functions as the headquarters of her cultural organization and doubles 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 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 do not have education and taste. It’s all about business. We are striving as a country to move towards the west. But we are still a way off from civilization,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking remained, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Resilience in Action

Some buildings are crumbling because of institutional abandonment. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons roosted among its shattered windows; refuse lay under a fairytale tower. “Often we lose the battle,” she admitted. “Preservation work is a coping mechanism for us. We are trying to save all this past and beauty.”

In the face of destruction and development pressures, these citizens continue their work, one facade at a time, arguing that to rebuild a city’s heart, you must first protect its history.