Protecting Kyiv's Architectural Legacy: A City Rebuilding Itself Amidst the Onslaught of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her recently completed front door. Volunteers had playfully nicknamed its graceful transom window the “pastry”, a playful reference to its bowed shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a peacock,” she commented, admiring its branch-like features. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who marked the occasion with several lively pavement parties.

It was also an act of resistance against a neighboring state, she clarified: “We strive to live like everyday people despite the war. It’s about organizing our life in the most positive way. We’re not afraid of remaining in our country. The possibility to emigrate existed, relocating to Italy. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our dedication to our homeland.”

“We strive to live like normal people in spite of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the most positive way.”

Preserving Kyiv’s historic buildings seems paradoxical at a time when missile strikes routinely fall the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, bombing campaigns have been significantly intensified. After each strike, workers cover blown-out windows with plywood and try, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Amid the Conflict, a Fight for Identity

In the midst of war, a collective of activists has been attempting to save the city’s crumbling mansions, built in a distinctive style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the downtown Shevchenkivskyi district. It was built in 1906 and was first the home of a affluent fur dealer. Its exterior is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare today,” Danylenko noted. The building was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity exhibit similar art nouveau elements, including asymmetry – with a medieval spire on one side and a small tower on the other. One beloved house in the area displays two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Dual Dangers to Heritage

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who demolish protected buildings, dishonest officials and a governing class apathetic or resistant to the city’s vast architectural history. The bitter winter climate presents another difficulty.

“Kyiv is a city where money wins. We don’t have genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He alleged the city’s leadership was friends with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov further alleged that the plan for the capital is reminiscent of a different time. The mayor has refuted these claims, attributing them from political rivals.

Perov said many of the community-oriented activists who once defended older properties were now engaged in combat or had been fallen. The lengthy conflict meant that everyone was facing economic hardship, he added, including those in the legal system who inexplicably ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see degradation of our society and public institutions,” he contended.

Demolition and Disregard

One glaring location of loss is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had pledged to preserve its picturesque brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the onset of major hostilities, heavy machinery demolished it. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new shopping and business centre, monitored by a unfriendly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was little optimism for the remaining coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers destroyed old properties while asserting they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A 20th-century empire also inflicted immense damage on the capital, redesigning its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could facilitate large-scale parades.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most prominent defenders of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was lost his life in 2022 while fighting in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his crucial preservation work. There were originally 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s successful industrialists. Only 80 of their original doors survived, she said.

“It wasn’t aerial bombardments that destroyed them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now not a thing will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique vine-clad house built in 1910, which acts as the headquarters of her cultural organization and also serves as a film set and museum. The property has a new red door and period-correct railings; inside is a vintage sanitary facility and antique mirrors.

“The war could continue for 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 value the past? “Regrettably 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 a way off from that standard,” 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 concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons made their home among its shattered windows; debris lay under a fairytale tower. “Frequently we lose the battle,” she acknowledged. “Restoration is therapy for us. We are attempting to save all this past and beauty.”

In the face of conflict and neglect, these volunteers continue their work, one door at a time, believing that to rebuild a city’s soul, you must first protect its history.