Safeguarding the Capital's Heritage: An Urban Center Reconstructing Its Foundations Under the Threat of War.

Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her freshly fitted front door. Local helpers had playfully nicknamed its ornate transom window the “pastry”, a playful reference to its arched shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a peafowl,” she stated, admiring its tree limb-inspired ornamentation. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who commemorated the work with two lively pavement parties.

It was also an expression of opposition towards an invading force, she clarified: “Our aim is to live like ordinary people regardless of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the most positive way. We have no fear of living in our country. I could have left, starting anew to a foreign land. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our commitment to our homeland.”

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

Safeguarding Kyiv’s architectural heritage may appear strange at a period 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 strike, workers board up shattered windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Among the Explosions, a Fight for Identity

Despite the violence, a collective of activists has been working to conserve the city’s crumbling mansions, built in a playful style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the downtown Shevchenkivskyi district. It was constructed in 1906 and was initially the home of a affluent fur dealer. Its outer walls is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce today,” Danylenko stated. The residence was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity showcase analogous art nouveau features, including asymmetry – with a gothic tower on one side and a small tower on the other. One beloved house in the area boasts two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Multiple Threats to History

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who knock down protected buildings, corrupt officials and a administrative body indifferent or opposed to the city’s vast architectural history. The harsh winter climate imposes another difficulty.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We don’t have genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s leadership was allied with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov stated that the plan for the capital harks back to 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 serving in the military or had been killed. The protracted conflict meant that everyone was facing financial problems, 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 public institutions,” he contended.

Demolition and Disregard

One egregious location of loss is in the historic 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, heavy machinery demolished it. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new commercial complex, monitored by a unfriendly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was not much hope for the remaining blue-green houses on the site. Sometimes developers demolished old properties while asserting they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A former political system also wrought immense damage on the capital, rebuilding its primary street after the second world war so it could accommodate military vehicles.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most notable advocates of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was fell in 2022 while fighting in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his crucial preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s wealthy entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their original doors survived, she said.

“It was not foreign rockets that got rid of them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “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 characterful 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 period-correct railings; inside is a vintage sanitary facility and antique mirrors.

“The war could last another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now not a thing will be left.”

The building’s resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “incredibly atmospheric and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens not cherish the past? “Regrettably they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are striving as a country to move towards the west. But we are still some distance away from that standard,” he said. Previous 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 institutional abandonment. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons made their home among its smashed windows; refuse lay under a fairytale tower. “Often we don’t win,” she admitted. “This activity is a form of healing for us. We are striving to save all this past and beauty.”

In the face of war and development pressures, these citizens continue their work, one door at a time, stating that to save a city’s soul, you must first save its stones.