Preserving the Capital's Heritage: A City Reconstructing Itself in the Shadow of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her recently completed front door. Local helpers had affectionately dubbed its graceful transom window the “crescent roll”, a playful reference to its bowed shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a peacock,” she stated, admiring its tree limb-inspired details. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who marked the occasion with several impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an expression of defiance towards an invading force, she elaborated: “We are trying to live like everyday people regardless of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the most positive way. Fear does not drive us of remaining in our homeland. I could have left, starting anew to another European nation. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance represents our allegiance to our homeland.”

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

Safeguarding Kyiv’s historic buildings may appear unusual at a moment when aerial assaults regularly target the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, aerial raids have been notably increased. After each strike, workers seal shattered windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Within the Explosions, a Battle for Identity

In the midst of war, a collective of activists has been attempting to conserve the city’s deteriorating 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 initially the home of a affluent fur dealer. Its outer walls is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon today,” Danylenko stated. The mansion was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings nearby showcase analogous art nouveau elements, including an irregular shape – with a pointed turret on one side and a small tower on the other. One popular house in the area displays two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Dual Challenges to History

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who demolish historically significant buildings, corrupt officials and a governing class unconcerned or opposed to the city’s vast architectural history. The bitter winter climate presents 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 leadership was allied with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov stated that the concept for the capital is reminiscent of a different time. The mayor denies these claims, stating they come 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 lost. The ongoing conflict meant that everyone was facing economic hardship, he added, including judicial figures who inexplicably ruled in favour of dubious new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see decline of our society and public institutions,” he contended.

Loss and Disregard

One glaring example of destruction is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had agreed to preserve its picturesque brick facade. A day after the 2022 invasion, heavy machinery tore it down. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new retail and office development, observed by a surly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was not much hope for the remaining coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers demolished old properties while claiming they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A former political system also inflicted immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its central boulevard after the second world war so it could accommodate official processions.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most prominent champions of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was lost his life in 2022 while fighting in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his vital preservation work. There were initially 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s prosperous industrialists. Only 80 of their authentic doors are still in existence, she said.

“It was not aerial bombardments that got rid of them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now little 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 operates as a film set and museum. The property has a new vermilion portal and period-correct railings; inside is a historic washroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could last another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now nothing will be left.”

The building’s tenant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “incredibly atmospheric and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not cherish the past? “Regrettably 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 a way off from civilization,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking lingered, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Hope in Action

Some buildings are collapsing because of institutional abandonment. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons nested among its smashed windows; rubbish lay under a storybook tower. “Often we are unsuccessful,” she conceded. “This activity is a form of healing for us. We are striving to save all this heritage and splendour.”

In the face of conflict and neglect, these citizens continue their work, one door at a time, stating that to save a city’s identity, you must first protect its stones.