Preserving the Capital's Heritage: An Urban Center Rebuilding Its Foundations in the Shadow of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her freshly fitted front door. The restoration team had given the moniker its graceful transom window the “pastry”, a playful reference to its curved shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a showy bird,” she commented, gazing at its branch-like ornamentation. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who marked the occasion with a couple of lively pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of defiance in the face of a foreign power, she elaborated: “We are trying to live like normal people in spite of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the optimal way. We have no fear of living in Ukraine. The possibility to emigrate existed, moving away to Italy. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance represents our dedication to our homeland.”

“We are trying to live like normal people despite the war. It’s about shaping our life in the best possible way.”

Safeguarding Kyiv’s historic buildings may appear strange at a period when missile strikes frequently hit the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, bombing campaigns have been notably increased. After each strike, workers board up shattered windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Within the Conflict, a Fight for Beauty

Amid the bombs, a band of activists has been working to preserve the city’s decaying 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 initially the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its outer walls is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon nowadays,” Danylenko stated. The residence was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings close by display analogous art nouveau elements, including asymmetry – with a gothic tower on one side and a small tower on the other. One beloved house in the area displays two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Dual Threats to History

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who knock down historically significant buildings, unethical officials and a administrative body unconcerned or resistant to the city’s profound architectural history. The harsh winter climate adds another difficulty.

“Kyiv is a city where money wins. We lack genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s mayor was closely associated with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov further alleged that the concept 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 lengthy conflict meant that the entire society was facing financial problems, he added, including judicial figures who mysteriously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see degradation of our society and public institutions,” he contended.

Destruction and Abandonment

One egregious demolition site is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had agreed to preserve its picturesque brick facade. Shortly following the full-scale invasion, heavy machinery razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new retail and office development, watched by a stern security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was little optimism for the remaining turquoise-painted houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled old properties while asserting they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A 20th-century empire also inflicted immense damage on the capital, rebuilding its primary street after the second world war so it could accommodate large-scale parades.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most prominent advocates of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was lost his life in 2022 while engaged in the frontline. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were continuing his vital preservation work. There were initially 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s prosperous business magnates. Only 80 of their authentic doors remain, she said.

“It wasn’t foreign rockets that destroyed them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now not a thing will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful creeper-covered house built in 1910, which acts as the headquarters of her cultural organization and also serves as a film set and museum. The property has a new vermilion portal and authentic railings; inside is a vintage sanitary facility and antique mirrors.

“The war could go on for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now nothing will be left.”

The building’s occupant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “incredibly atmospheric and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not value the past? “Unfortunately they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are striving as a country to go to the west. But we are still a way off from that standard,” he said. Previous ways of thinking persisted, 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 tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons made their home among its broken windows; refuse lay under a fairytale tower. “Many times we don’t win,” she admitted. “Preservation work is a form of healing for us. We are attempting to save all this heritage and beauty.”

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