Safeguarding Kyiv's Heritage: An Urban Center Reconstructing Itself Amidst the Onslaught of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her newly installed front door. Local helpers had given the moniker its ornate transom window the “croissant”, a lighthearted tribute to its arched shape. “I think it’s more of a peafowl,” she stated, gazing at its twig-detailed features. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who commemorated the work with two neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an expression of defiance towards an invading force, she clarified: “We strive to live like everyday people in spite of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the most positive way. We have no fear of remaining in our homeland. I had the option to depart, moving away to a foreign land. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our commitment to our homeland.”

“Our aim is to live like normal people despite the war. It’s about shaping our life in the optimal way.”

Protecting Kyiv’s built legacy could be considered strange at a time when drone attacks regularly target the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, aerial raids have been dramatically stepped up. After each strike, workers seal shattered windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Among the Explosions, a Fight for History

Despite the violence, a band of activists has been striving to conserve the city’s crumbling mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the central Shevchenkivskyi district. It was built in 1906 and was originally the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its facade is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce today,” Danylenko said. The building was designed by a designer of Central European origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity display similar art nouveau elements, including a lack of symmetry – with a medieval spire on one side and a small tower on the other. One beloved house in the area displays two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Dual Dangers to Heritage

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 opposed to the city’s vast architectural history. The severe winter climate presents another difficulty.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We lack genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s mayor was allied with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov added that the vision for the capital comes straight out of a bygone era. The mayor has refuted these claims, attributing them from political rivals.

Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once protected older properties were now fighting on the frontline or had been fallen. The lengthy conflict meant that all citizens was facing financial problems, he added, including those in the legal system who curiously ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see deterioration of our society and public institutions,” he remarked.

Loss and Neglect

One notorious example of destruction is in the historic 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. Shortly following 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 little optimism for the remaining coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers destroyed old properties while stating they were doing “archaeological research”, 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 facilitate large-scale parades.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most notable defenders of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was fell in 2022 while fighting in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his vital preservation work. There were initially 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s successful industrialists. Only 80 of their period doors are still in existence, she said.

“It wasn’t foreign rockets that destroyed them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now little will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful ivy-draped 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 period-correct railings; inside is a period bathroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could go on for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now nothing will be left.”

The building’s resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “very cool and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not cherish the past? “Unfortunately they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are attempting 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 reluctant to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Resilience in Restoration

Some buildings are collapsing because of institutional abandonment. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons nested among its smashed windows; debris lay under a storybook tower. “Often we lose the battle,” she conceded. “Restoration is therapy for us. We are trying to save all this history and aesthetic value.”

In the face of destruction and commercial interests, these volunteers continue their work, one building at a time, arguing that to preserve a city’s identity, you must first cherish its stones.