Safeguarding the Capital's Architectural Legacy: A City Reconstructing Itself in the Shadow of War.

Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her freshly fitted front door. Volunteers had given the moniker its ornate transom window the “crescent roll”, a lighthearted tribute to its arched shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a showy bird,” she stated, admiring its twig-detailed features. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who marked the occasion with a couple of neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an expression of resistance in the face of a foreign power, she elaborated: “Our aim is to live like ordinary people in spite of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the optimal way. Fear does not drive us of staying in our country. I could have left, starting anew to Italy. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance represents our commitment to our homeland.”

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

Protecting Kyiv’s built legacy seems unusual at a moment when missile strikes regularly target the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, bombing campaigns have been dramatically stepped up. After each assault, workers board up shattered windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Within the Bombs, a Fight for Beauty

In the midst of war, a band of activists has been attempting to preserve the city’s crumbling mansions, built in a distinctive style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the historic Shevchenkivskyi district. It was constructed in 1906 and was originally the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its facade 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 a designer of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings close by exhibit analogous art nouveau characteristics, including an irregular shape – with a pointed turret on one side and a small tower on the other. One popular house in the area features two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Several Threats to History

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who knock down historically significant buildings, dishonest officials and a political leadership apathetic or opposed to the city’s vast architectural history. The bitter winter climate adds another burden.

“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 friends with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov added that the concept for the capital harks back to a previous decade. The mayor rejects these claims, attributing them from political rivals.

Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once protected older properties were now engaged in combat or had been fallen. The protracted conflict meant that the entire society was facing monetary strain, he added, including those in the legal system who mysteriously ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see deterioration of our society and public institutions,” he remarked.

Demolition and Disregard

One notorious location of loss is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had committed to preserve its picturesque brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the onset of major hostilities, diggers demolished it. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new shopping and business centre, observed by a unfriendly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was faint chance for the remaining turquoise-painted houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled old properties while claiming they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A 20th-century empire also caused immense damage on the capital, redesigning its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could accommodate large-scale parades.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most notable 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 vital preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s successful business magnates. Only 80 of their original doors remain, she said.

“It was not aerial bombardments that got rid of them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now not a thing will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique creeper-covered house built in 1910, which acts as the headquarters of her cultural organization and doubles as a film set and museum. The property has a new vermilion portal and authentic railings; inside is a vintage sanitary facility and antique mirrors.

“The war could last another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now little will be left.”

The building’s resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not cherish the past? “Regrettably they do not have education and taste. It’s all about business. We are striving as a country to integrate with the west. But we are still not yet close from that standard,” 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 collapsing because of official neglect. Chudna showed a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons made their home among its smashed windows; debris lay under a whimsical tower. “Frequently we lose the battle,” she acknowledged. “This activity is a form of healing for us. We are striving to save all this history and splendour.”

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