Protecting Kyiv's Heritage: A City Reconstructing Its Foundations Amidst the Onslaught of War.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her recently completed front door. Volunteers had given the moniker its ornate transom window the “pastry”, a whimsical nod to its curved shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a peacock,” she remarked, admiring its tree limb-inspired ornamentation. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who commemorated the work with a couple of neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an expression of resistance towards a foreign power, she explained: “We strive to live like everyday people despite the war. It’s about organizing our life in the best possible way. Fear does not drive us of living in our homeland. The possibility to emigrate existed, relocating to Italy. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance represents our commitment to our homeland.”

“We are trying to live like everyday people despite the war. It’s about shaping our life in the most positive way.”

Safeguarding Kyiv’s historic buildings could be considered strange at a period when missile strikes frequently hit the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, offensive operations have been notably increased. After each attack, workers board up shattered windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Among the Conflict, a Campaign for History

In the midst of war, a band of activists has been attempting to conserve the city’s decaying mansions, built in a distinctive style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the historic Shevchenkivskyi district. It was built in 1906 and was first the home of a affluent 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 noted. The residence was designed by a designer of Central European origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity exhibit comparable art nouveau features, including an irregular shape – with a pointed turret on one side and a small tower on the other. One much-loved house in the area boasts two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Multiple Challenges to Heritage

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who knock down historically significant buildings, dishonest officials and a governing class indifferent or resistant to the city’s rich architectural history. The harsh winter climate presents another difficulty.

“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 destroy important houses. Perov stated that the plan for the capital comes straight out of a different time. The mayor has refuted these claims, saying they originate from political rivals.

Perov said many of the public-spirited activists who once defended older properties were now engaged in combat or had been killed. The protracted conflict meant that everyone was facing financial problems, he added, including judicial figures who mysteriously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see degradation of our society and state bodies,” he argued.

Destruction and Abandonment

One glaring example of destruction is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had pledged to preserve its attractive brick facade. Shortly following the onset of major hostilities, diggers razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new retail and office development, observed by a unfriendly 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 “archaeological research”, he said. A former political system also wrought immense damage on the capital, rebuilding its central boulevard after the second world war so it could accommodate military vehicles.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most renowned champions of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was fell in 2022 while fighting in the frontline. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his crucial preservation work. There were originally 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s prosperous business magnates. Only 80 of their period doors survived, she said.

“It wasn’t external attacks that got rid of them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now little will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful creeper-covered 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 vermilion portal and period-correct railings; inside is a vintage sanitary facility and antique mirrors.

“The war could last another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now little will be left.”

The building’s tenant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not appreciate the past? “Regrettably they are without education and taste. It’s all about business. We are attempting as a country to go to the west. But we are still a way off from such cultural awareness,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking remained, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Therapy in Restoration

Some buildings are collapsing because of official neglect. Chudna showed a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons made their home among its smashed windows; debris lay under a whimsical tower. “Frequently we are unsuccessful,” she conceded. “Restoration is a form of healing for us. We are attempting to save all this history and beauty.”

In the face of war and neglect, these volunteers continue their work, one building at a time, stating that to save a city’s soul, you must first save its stones.