Protecting Kyiv's Architectural Legacy: A City Rebuilding Itself Under the Threat of War.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her newly installed front door. Volunteers had playfully nicknamed its elegant transom window the “pastry”, a lighthearted tribute to its arched shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a showy bird,” she commented, gazing at its branch-like features. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I 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 defiance in the face of a foreign power, she explained: “We are trying to live like ordinary people despite the war. It’s about organizing our life in the optimal way. We have no fear of living in our country. The possibility to emigrate existed, starting anew to a foreign land. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our dedication to our homeland.”

“Our aim is to live like normal people regardless of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the optimal way.”

Protecting Kyiv’s architectural heritage could be considered paradoxical at a time when drone attacks routinely fall the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, bombing campaigns have been notably increased. After each attack, workers cover broken windows with plywood and try, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Among the Bombs, a Campaign for Beauty

In the midst of war, a band of activists has been striving to preserve the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the downtown Shevchenkivskyi district. It was built in 1906 and was initially the home of a affluent fur dealer. Its outer walls is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon in the present day,” Danylenko said. The building was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings nearby display analogous art nouveau features, including an irregular shape – with a medieval spire on one side and a projection on the other. One beloved house in the area boasts two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Multiple Dangers to History

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who knock down protected buildings, corrupt officials and a political leadership indifferent or resistant to the city’s vast architectural history. The bitter winter climate imposes another difficulty.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We lack substantive political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s mayor was closely associated with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov added that the vision for the capital harks back to a different time. The mayor rejects these claims, attributing them from political rivals.

Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once defended older properties were now fighting on the frontline or had been killed. The lengthy conflict meant that all citizens was facing economic hardship, he added, including judicial figures who mysteriously ruled in favour of dubious new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see decline of our society and governing institutions,” he remarked.

Loss and Disregard

One glaring example of destruction is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had pledged to preserve its attractive brick facade. A day after the full-scale invasion, excavators demolished it. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new shopping and business centre, watched by a surly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was faint chance for the remaining coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers destroyed old properties while asserting they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A previous regime also caused immense damage on the capital, redesigning its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could accommodate military vehicles.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most notable advocates of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, 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 originally 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s prosperous business magnates. Only 80 of their original doors survived, she said.

“It wasn’t external attacks that got rid of them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could last another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now little will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique vine-clad house built in 1910, which acts as the headquarters of her cultural organization and operates as a film set and museum. The property has a new crimson entrance and authentic railings; inside is a period bathroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could last 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 residents not cherish the past? “Sadly they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are striving as a country to integrate with the west. But we are still a way off from such cultural awareness,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking persisted, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Resilience in Preservation

Some buildings are crumbling because of official neglect. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons made their home among its shattered windows; refuse lay under a whimsical tower. “Frequently we don’t win,” she conceded. “This activity is a coping mechanism for us. We are trying to save all this past and splendour.”

In the face of war and commercial interests, these citizens continue their work, one facade at a time, believing that to rebuild a city’s identity, you must first cherish its walls.