Safeguarding Kyiv's Heritage: An Urban Center Rebuilding Itself Under the Threat of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her freshly fitted front door. The restoration team had playfully nicknamed its elegant transom window the “pastry”, a lighthearted tribute to its arched shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a peafowl,” she commented, gazing at its branch-like ornamentation. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who commemorated the work with several lively pavement parties.

It was also an act of defiance against a neighboring state, she explained: “We are trying to live like everyday people regardless of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the best possible way. Fear does not drive us of remaining in Ukraine. I could have left, moving away to another European nation. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance represents our allegiance to our homeland.”

“We strive to live like everyday people in spite of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the most positive way.”

Protecting Kyiv’s architectural heritage seems unusual at a time when aerial assaults routinely fall the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, offensive operations have been notably increased. After each attack, workers board up broken windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Among the Bombs, a Campaign for Identity

Despite the violence, a band of activists has been attempting to conserve the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a distinctive style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the central Shevchenkivskyi district. It was built in 1906 and was initially the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its exterior is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare nowadays,” Danylenko noted. The mansion was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings close by showcase analogous art nouveau features, including an irregular shape – with a pointed turret on one side and a small tower on the other. One much-loved house in the area displays two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Several Challenges to Heritage

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who knock down protected buildings, unethical officials and a administrative body unconcerned or opposed to the city’s profound architectural history. The harsh winter climate imposes 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 asserted the city’s leadership was closely associated with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov further alleged that the plan for the capital is reminiscent of a previous decade. The mayor denies these claims, saying they originate from political rivals.

Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once championed older properties were now fighting on the frontline or had been killed. The lengthy conflict meant that the entire society was facing economic hardship, he added, including judicial figures who mysteriously ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see degradation of our society and governing institutions,” he contended.

Loss and Disregard

One notorious example of destruction is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had pledged to preserve its attractive brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the 2022 invasion, heavy machinery razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new shopping and business centre, watched by a unfriendly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was not much hope for the remaining coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers demolished old properties while claiming they were doing “scientific study”, 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 accommodate official processions.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most notable champions of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was killed in 2022 while serving in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were continuing his important preservation work. There were initially 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s successful entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their period doors are still in existence, she said.

“It was not foreign rockets that eliminated them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now not a thing will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique vine-clad house built in 1910, which acts as the headquarters of her cultural organization and operates as a film set and museum. The property has a new vermilion portal and authentic railings; inside is a period bathroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could last another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now little will be left.”

The building’s tenant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “incredibly atmospheric and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not appreciate the past? “Sadly they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are trying as a country to integrate with the west. But we are still not yet close from civilization,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking remained, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Hope in Action

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 broken windows; rubbish lay under a fairytale tower. “Many times we lose the battle,” she admitted. “Preservation work is a form of healing for us. We are attempting to save all this past and beauty.”

In the face of destruction and commercial interests, these activists continue their work, one building at a time, stating that to save a city’s identity, you must first cherish its history.