Safeguarding Kyiv's Architectural Legacy: An Urban Center Reconstructing Its Foundations in the Shadow of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her freshly fitted front door. Local helpers had given the moniker its elegant transom window the “croissant”, a lighthearted tribute to its arched shape. “I think it’s more of a peafowl,” she stated, appreciating its branch-like features. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-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 opposition towards an invading force, she elaborated: “We are trying to live like ordinary people despite the war. It’s about arranging our life in the optimal way. We’re not afraid of remaining in Ukraine. I had the option to depart, moving away to a foreign land. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance represents our allegiance to our homeland.”

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

Preserving Kyiv’s built legacy could be considered paradoxical at a time when drone attacks routinely fall the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, bombing campaigns have been significantly intensified. After each assault, workers board up blown-out windows with plywood and try, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Among the Explosions, a Fight for History

In the midst of war, a collective of activists has been striving 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 built in 1906 and was originally the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its facade is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce today,” Danylenko said. The residence was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings close by showcase analogous art nouveau elements, including a lack of symmetry – with a gothic tower on one side and a small tower on the other. One much-loved house in the area boasts two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Several Threats to Heritage

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who knock down listed buildings, corrupt officials and a political leadership unconcerned or opposed to the city’s profound architectural history. The harsh winter climate imposes another difficulty.

“Kyiv is a city where money wins. We lack real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s mayor was friends with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov added that the vision for the capital harks back to a different time. The mayor has refuted these claims, attributing them from political rivals.

Perov said many of the public-spirited activists who once defended older properties were now fighting on the frontline or had been killed. The protracted conflict meant that everyone was facing economic hardship, 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 decline of our society and state bodies,” he remarked.

Demolition and Abandonment

One notorious location of loss is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had committed to preserve its charming brick facade. A day after the onset of major hostilities, excavators demolished it. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new shopping and business centre, monitored by a stern security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was not much hope for the remaining turquoise-painted houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled old properties while claiming they were doing “archaeological research”, he said. A previous regime also caused 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 prominent champions of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was lost his life in 2022 while engaged in the frontline. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his vital preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s successful industrialists. Only 80 of their authentic doors are still in existence, she said.

“It wasn’t foreign rockets that destroyed them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now nothing will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful vine-clad house built in 1910, which functions as the headquarters of her cultural organization and also serves as a film set and museum. The property has a new crimson entrance and period-correct railings; inside is a period bathroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could continue for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now not a thing will be left.”

The building’s resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “incredibly atmospheric and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens not value the past? “Sadly they are without education and taste. It’s all about business. We are trying as a country to move towards the west. But we are still not yet close from civilization,” he said. Previous ways of thinking remained, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Therapy in Preservation

Some buildings are falling apart because of official neglect. Chudna showed a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons roosted among its smashed windows; refuse lay under a fairytale tower. “Many times we don’t win,” she conceded. “Restoration is a coping mechanism for us. We are striving to save all this heritage and beauty.”

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