Protecting the Capital's Heritage: A City Rebuilding Itself in the Shadow of War.

Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her freshly fitted front door. Volunteers had given the moniker its graceful transom window the “pastry”, a lighthearted tribute to its arched shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a peacock,” she remarked, gazing at its tree limb-inspired features. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who celebrated with several impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an act of resistance in the face of a foreign power, she explained: “We strive to live like everyday people in spite of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the most positive way. Fear does not drive us of remaining in our homeland. I had the option to depart, starting anew to Italy. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our allegiance to our homeland.”

“Our aim is to live like everyday people regardless of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the best possible way.”

Safeguarding Kyiv’s historic buildings may appear paradoxical at a moment when aerial assaults regularly target the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, bombing campaigns have been notably increased. After each assault, workers seal shattered windows with plywood and try, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Amid the Bombs, a Battle for Identity

In the midst of war, a band of activists has been striving to conserve 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 constructed in 1906 and was originally the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its exterior is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon in the present day,” Danylenko stated. The residence was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings close by display analogous art nouveau features, including a lack of symmetry – with a medieval spire on one side and a turret on the other. One popular house in the area displays two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Multiple Threats to Legacy

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who demolish listed buildings, unethical officials and a administrative body indifferent or resistant to the city’s profound architectural history. The bitter winter climate presents another difficulty.

“Kyiv is a city where money wins. We are missing 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 flatten important houses. Perov added that the plan for the capital is reminiscent of a previous decade. The mayor has refuted these claims, stating they come from political rivals.

Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once championed older properties were now engaged in combat or had been killed. The lengthy conflict meant that all citizens was facing economic hardship, he added, including those in the legal system who mysteriously ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see decline of our society and governing institutions,” he contended.

Loss and Abandonment

One glaring example of destruction is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had committed to preserve its attractive brick facade. Shortly following the onset of major hostilities, heavy machinery razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new commercial complex, observed by a unfriendly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was faint chance for the remaining blue-green houses on the site. Sometimes developers destroyed old properties while claiming 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 accommodate official processions.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most notable advocates of historic buildings, a cultural activist, 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 brick-built 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 eliminated them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now not a thing will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique creeper-covered house built in 1910, which acts as the headquarters of her cultural organization and doubles as a film set and museum. The property has a new red door and original-style railings; inside is a historic washroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could continue for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now not a thing 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 value the past? “Unfortunately they do not have education and taste. It’s all about business. We are trying as a country to move towards the west. But we are still some distance away from such cultural awareness,” he said. Previous ways of thinking remained, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Therapy in Action

Some buildings are crumbling because of official neglect. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons roosted among its broken windows; rubbish lay under a fairytale tower. “Many times we are unsuccessful,” she conceded. “Restoration is a form of healing for us. We are attempting to save all this past and splendour.”

In the face of war and commercial interests, these volunteers continue their work, one door at a time, stating that to rebuild a city’s heart, you must first cherish its walls.