Safeguarding Kyiv's Architectural Legacy: A City Rebuilding Its Foundations Amidst the Onslaught of War.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her freshly fitted front door. Local helpers had affectionately dubbed its ornate transom window the “croissant”, a lighthearted tribute to its arched shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a peacock,” she remarked, admiring its tree limb-inspired details. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who celebrated with several impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an expression of defiance against an invading force, she elaborated: “Our aim is to live like normal people regardless of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the optimal way. We have no fear of remaining in our country. I had the option to depart, relocating to a foreign land. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our allegiance to our homeland.”

“Our aim is to live like normal people in spite of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the best possible way.”

Protecting Kyiv’s architectural heritage could be considered paradoxical at a time when missile strikes regularly target the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the beginning 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.

Within the Conflict, a Battle for Identity

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

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon in the present day,” Danylenko said. The building was designed by a designer of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings close by showcase analogous art nouveau features, including asymmetry – with a gothic tower on one side and a turret on the other. One much-loved house in the area features two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Several Threats to Legacy

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who raze protected buildings, unethical officials and a administrative body unconcerned or opposed to the city’s vast architectural history. The bitter winter climate presents another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We don’t have substantive political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s leadership was allied with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov stated that the concept for the capital comes straight out of a previous decade. The mayor rejects these claims, saying they originate 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 fallen. The lengthy conflict meant that all citizens was facing financial problems, he added, including those in the legal system who mysteriously ruled in favour of dubious new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see degradation of our society and governing institutions,” he argued.

Loss and Disregard

One notorious location of loss is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had agreed to preserve its attractive brick facade. A day after the onset of major hostilities, excavators tore it down. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new commercial complex, watched by a stern security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was not much hope for the remaining blue-green houses on the site. Sometimes developers destroyed old properties while claiming they were doing “archaeological research”, he said. A previous regime also caused immense damage on the capital, rebuilding its primary street after the second world war so it could facilitate official processions.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most renowned advocates of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was fell in 2022 while fighting in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his vital preservation work. There were initially 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s wealthy business magnates. Only 80 of their period doors are still in existence, she said.

“It was not aerial bombardments that eliminated them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now nothing will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful creeper-covered house built in 1910, which functions as the headquarters of her cultural organization and doubles as a film set and museum. The property has a new crimson entrance and authentic 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 little will be left.”

The building’s resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not value the past? “Regrettably 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 some distance away from civilization,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking persisted, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Therapy in Restoration

Some buildings are falling apart because of official neglect. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons roosted among its smashed windows; rubbish lay under a storybook tower. “Many times we don’t win,” she acknowledged. “Restoration is therapy for us. We are attempting to save all this heritage and beauty.”

In the face of war and neglect, these activists continue their work, one door at a time, believing that to rebuild a city’s heart, you must first cherish its stones.