Preserving Kyiv's Architectural Legacy: A City Reconstructing Its Foundations in the Shadow of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her newly installed front door. Volunteers had playfully nicknamed its ornate transom window the “pastry”, a whimsical nod to its arched shape. “I think it’s more of a peacock,” she stated, gazing at its tree limb-inspired ornamentation. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who commemorated the work with several impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of resistance against a neighboring state, she elaborated: “We strive to live like normal people in spite of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the best possible way. We have no fear of staying in our country. The possibility to emigrate existed, moving away to a foreign land. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our dedication to our homeland.”

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

Safeguarding Kyiv’s architectural heritage could be considered paradoxical at a time when drone attacks frequently hit the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, offensive operations have been significantly intensified. After each assault, workers cover blown-out windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Amid the Conflict, a Campaign for History

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

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare nowadays,” Danylenko said. The mansion was designed by a designer of Central European origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity display analogous art nouveau features, including an irregular shape – with a gothic tower on one side and a projection on the other. One beloved house in the area displays two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Several Dangers to Heritage

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who demolish historically significant buildings, dishonest officials and a governing class indifferent or opposed to the city’s vast architectural history. The harsh winter climate imposes another difficulty.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We lack substantive political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He alleged the city’s leadership was closely associated with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov further alleged that the concept for the capital harks back to a bygone era. The mayor denies these claims, stating they come from political rivals.

Perov said many of the community-oriented activists who once championed older properties were now fighting on the frontline or had been fallen. The protracted conflict meant that everyone was facing monetary strain, he added, including judicial figures who curiously ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see decline of our society and state bodies,” he contended.

Demolition and Neglect

One notorious example of destruction is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had agreed to preserve its picturesque brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the onset of major hostilities, diggers razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new commercial complex, monitored 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, reconstructing its primary street after the second world war so it could accommodate official processions.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most renowned advocates of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was fell in 2022 while engaged in the frontline. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his vital preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s wealthy industrialists. Only 80 of their period doors remain, she said.

“It wasn’t aerial bombardments that got rid of them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could last another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now not a thing will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique 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 original-style railings; inside is a period bathroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could last another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now nothing will be left.”

The building’s occupant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not appreciate 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 not yet close from such cultural awareness,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking persisted, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Hope in Restoration

Some buildings are collapsing because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons made their home among its broken windows; debris lay under a storybook tower. “Many times we are unsuccessful,” she conceded. “This activity is a coping mechanism for us. We are striving to save all this history and beauty.”

In the face of conflict and commercial interests, these volunteers continue their work, one door at a time, arguing that to save a city’s identity, you must first protect its walls.