Preserving Kyiv's Heritage: A City Rebuilding Itself Under the Threat of War.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her freshly fitted front door. Local helpers had affectionately dubbed its elegant transom window the “pastry”, a lighthearted tribute to its bowed shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a peafowl,” she commented, admiring its branch-like ornamentation. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who celebrated with a couple of neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of opposition against an invading force, she explained: “We are trying to live like normal people despite the war. It’s about organizing our life in the best possible way. We have no fear of remaining in our homeland. I had the option to depart, starting anew to a foreign land. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance shows our dedication to our homeland.”

“We strive to live like normal people in spite of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the best possible way.”

Safeguarding Kyiv’s historic buildings seems paradoxical at a moment when missile strikes frequently hit the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, bombing campaigns have been significantly intensified. After each strike, workers board up blown-out windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Within the Bombs, a Battle for Identity

Amid the bombs, a group of activists has been striving to preserve the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a playful style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the historic Shevchenkivskyi district. It was constructed in 1906 and was initially the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its outer walls is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce nowadays,” Danylenko noted. The building was designed by a designer of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings nearby showcase analogous art nouveau features, including a lack of symmetry – with a gothic tower on one side and a turret on the other. One popular house in the area features two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Multiple Dangers to Heritage

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who knock down protected buildings, unethical officials and a political leadership unconcerned or resistant to the city’s vast architectural history. The severe winter climate presents another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We don’t have genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s leadership was friends with many of the developers who flatten important houses. Perov stated that the vision for the capital comes straight out of a previous decade. The mayor has refuted these claims, stating they come from political rivals.

Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once protected older properties were now serving in the military or had been fallen. The lengthy conflict meant that all citizens was facing economic hardship, he added, including judicial figures who curiously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see decline of our society and public institutions,” he argued.

Loss and Neglect

One egregious demolition site is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had committed to preserve its attractive brick facade. A day after the 2022 invasion, diggers razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new commercial complex, observed by a stern security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was not much hope for the remaining coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled old properties while asserting they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A 20th-century empire also caused immense damage on the capital, rebuilding its primary street after the second world war so it could accommodate military vehicles.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most renowned defenders of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was lost his life in 2022 while serving in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his important preservation work. There were initially 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s wealthy industrialists. Only 80 of their authentic doors survived, she said.

“It was not foreign rockets that eliminated them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now little will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a full of character ivy-draped house built in 1910, which functions as the headquarters of her cultural organization and operates as a film set and museum. The property has a new red door and period-correct railings; inside is a period bathroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could last another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now not a thing will be left.”

The building’s tenant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “very cool and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not appreciate the past? “Unfortunately they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are striving as a country to move towards the west. But we are still some distance away from that standard,” he said. Previous ways of thinking lingered, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Hope in Action

Some buildings are collapsing because of institutional abandonment. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons nested among its shattered windows; debris lay under a whimsical tower. “Often we are unsuccessful,” she admitted. “This activity is a form of healing for us. We are attempting to save all this past and splendour.”

In the face of war and development pressures, these citizens continue their work, one building at a time, believing that to preserve a city’s identity, you must first cherish its history.