Protecting Kyiv's Heritage: A City Reconstructing Its Foundations Under the Threat of War.

Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her freshly fitted front door. Local helpers had affectionately dubbed its elegant transom window the “croissant”, a playful reference to its arched shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a peafowl,” she stated, appreciating its tree limb-inspired ornamentation. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who marked the occasion with several impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an expression of resistance towards a neighboring state, she elaborated: “We are trying to live like everyday people in spite of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the optimal way. Fear does not drive us of living in Ukraine. I had the option to depart, starting anew to another European nation. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance represents our dedication to our homeland.”

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

Preserving Kyiv’s built legacy could be considered unusual at a period when drone attacks frequently hit the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, aerial raids have been significantly intensified. After each assault, workers board up blown-out windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Within the Conflict, a Fight for Beauty

In the midst of war, a collective of activists has been striving to save the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a playful style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the downtown Shevchenkivskyi district. It was erected in 1906 and was first the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its outer walls is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce in the present day,” Danylenko stated. The mansion 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 pointed turret on one side and a turret on the other. One beloved house in the area boasts two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Dual Challenges to Heritage

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who demolish historically significant buildings, dishonest officials and a administrative body unconcerned or resistant to the city’s rich architectural history. The severe winter climate adds another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We are missing real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s mayor was allied with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov stated that the concept for the capital harks back to a previous decade. The mayor has refuted these claims, attributing them from political rivals.

Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once defended older properties were now fighting on the frontline or had been killed. The lengthy conflict meant that the entire society was facing monetary strain, 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 public institutions,” he contended.

Destruction and Disregard

One glaring example of destruction is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had pledged to preserve its attractive brick facade. A day after the 2022 invasion, diggers tore it down. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new retail and office development, watched by a surly 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 stating they were doing “archaeological research”, 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 allow for large-scale parades.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most prominent defenders of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was fell 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 erected for the city’s successful industrialists. Only 80 of their authentic doors remain, she said.

“It was not aerial bombardments that destroyed them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could last another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now nothing will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a full of character 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 don’t defend architecture now little will be left.”

The building’s resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “incredibly atmospheric and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens not appreciate the past? “Sadly they do not have education and taste. It’s all about business. We are striving 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 built surroundings, he added.

Resilience in Preservation

Some buildings are collapsing because of institutional abandonment. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons made their home among its smashed windows; rubbish lay under a whimsical tower. “Many times we don’t win,” she admitted. “Preservation work is therapy for us. We are attempting to save all this past and splendour.”

In the face of conflict and commercial interests, these volunteers continue their work, one facade at a time, believing that to preserve a city’s heart, you must first save its walls.