Safeguarding the Capital's Heritage: An Urban Center Reconstructing Itself in the Shadow of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her newly installed front door. Local helpers had affectionately dubbed its elegant transom window the “croissant”, a playful reference to its arched shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a peafowl,” she remarked, gazing at its twig-detailed ornamentation. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who marked the occasion with two impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of opposition in the face of an invading force, she clarified: “We are trying to live like everyday people in spite of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the most positive way. We’re not afraid of staying in our country. I could have left, starting anew to a foreign land. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our dedication to our homeland.”

“We strive to live like ordinary people despite the war. It’s about arranging our life in the most positive way.”

Safeguarding Kyiv’s historic buildings could be considered strange at a period when aerial assaults regularly target the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, aerial raids have been notably increased. After each strike, workers cover shattered windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Within the Conflict, a Fight for Beauty

Despite the violence, a group of activists has been working to save the city’s decaying mansions, built in a playful style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the historic Shevchenkivskyi district. It was constructed in 1906 and was originally the home of a affluent fur dealer. Its exterior is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce nowadays,” Danylenko said. The residence was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity exhibit analogous art nouveau elements, including asymmetry – with a pointed turret on one side and a projection on the other. One much-loved house in the area boasts two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Multiple Threats 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 administrative body apathetic or hostile to the city’s vast architectural history. The harsh winter climate imposes another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We don’t have genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s leadership was closely associated with many of the developers who flatten important houses. Perov stated that the plan for the capital is reminiscent of a different time. The mayor rejects these claims, saying they originate from political rivals.

Perov said many of the community-oriented 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 financial problems, he added, including those in the legal system who curiously ruled in favour of dubious new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see degradation of our society and public institutions,” he contended.

Loss and Neglect

One notorious example of destruction is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had pledged to preserve its charming brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the 2022 invasion, heavy machinery demolished it. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new commercial complex, observed by a stern security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was little optimism for the remaining coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers demolished old properties while stating they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A former political system also wrought immense damage on the capital, rebuilding its primary street after the second world war so it could allow for official processions.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most renowned champions of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was killed in 2022 while engaged in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were continuing his crucial preservation work. There were initially 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s prosperous industrialists. Only 80 of their original doors remain, she said.

“It wasn’t foreign rockets that got rid of them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could last another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now not a thing will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique ivy-draped house built in 1910, which serves as the headquarters of her cultural organization and doubles 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 go on for 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 “very cool and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not value the past? “Sadly they do not have 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 that standard,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking lingered, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Resilience in Restoration

Some buildings are falling apart because of institutional abandonment. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons roosted among its smashed windows; debris lay under a fairytale tower. “Often we are unsuccessful,” she admitted. “Restoration is a coping mechanism for us. We are trying to save all this history and beauty.”

In the face of conflict and development pressures, these citizens continue their work, one facade at a time, believing that to rebuild a city’s heart, you must first protect its walls.