Preserving Kyiv's Architectural Legacy: A City Reconstructing Itself Amidst the Onslaught of War.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her freshly fitted front door. Local helpers had playfully nicknamed its graceful transom window the “crescent roll”, a whimsical nod to its bowed shape. “I think it’s more of a showy bird,” she stated, gazing at its branch-like details. 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 demonstration of resistance in the face of a foreign power, she elaborated: “Our aim is to live like normal people regardless of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the most positive way. We’re not afraid of living in our country. I had the option to depart, relocating to another European nation. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance shows our commitment to our homeland.”

“We strive to live like everyday people despite the war. It’s about arranging our life in the most positive way.”

Protecting Kyiv’s architectural heritage could be considered strange at a moment when drone attacks regularly target the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, bombing campaigns have been notably increased. After each attack, workers seal broken windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Within the Bombs, a Fight for Beauty

Despite the violence, a group of activists has been striving 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 erected in 1906 and was initially the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its facade is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon nowadays,” Danylenko noted. The residence was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings close by showcase comparable art nouveau characteristics, including asymmetry – with a gothic tower 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 devil.

Several Dangers to Legacy

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who raze protected buildings, dishonest officials and a governing class apathetic or opposed to the city’s rich architectural history. The harsh winter climate adds another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where money wins. We don’t have 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 stated that the plan for the capital harks back to a bygone era. The mayor denies these claims, stating they come from political rivals.

Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once protected older properties were now serving in the military or had been fallen. The protracted conflict meant that everyone was facing monetary strain, he added, including judicial figures who inexplicably ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see decline of our society and governing institutions,” he contended.

Demolition and Neglect

One glaring location of loss is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had pledged to preserve its attractive brick facade. A day after the 2022 invasion, diggers razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new commercial complex, 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 previous regime also wrought immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its primary street after the second world war so it could facilitate large-scale parades.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most prominent defenders of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was killed in 2022 while fighting in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his important preservation work. There were initially 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s prosperous entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their period doors remain, she said.

“It was not external attacks 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 little will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful creeper-covered house built in 1910, which functions as the headquarters of her cultural organization and operates 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 go on 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 “very cool and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not appreciate 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 some distance away from civilization,” he said. Previous ways of thinking persisted, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Therapy in Restoration

Some buildings are crumbling because of institutional abandonment. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons made their home among its shattered windows; refuse lay under a whimsical tower. “Many times we are unsuccessful,” she admitted. “Restoration is a coping mechanism for us. We are trying to save all this heritage and splendour.”

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