Preserving the Capital's Architectural Legacy: A City Rebuilding Its Foundations in the Shadow of War.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her freshly fitted front door. The restoration team had playfully nicknamed its ornate transom window the “pastry”, a whimsical nod to its curved shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a showy bird,” she commented, admiring its branch-like details. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who marked the occasion with several neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of resistance in the face of an invading force, she clarified: “We strive to live like ordinary people despite the war. It’s about shaping 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. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance shows our allegiance to our homeland.”

“We are trying to live like normal people despite the war. It’s about shaping our life in the optimal way.”

Preserving Kyiv’s built legacy seems strange at a time when aerial assaults frequently hit the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, aerial raids have been significantly intensified. After each attack, workers cover blown-out windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Among the Conflict, a Fight for Beauty

Amid the bombs, a collective of activists has been striving to save the city’s decaying mansions, built in a whimsical 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 exterior is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare today,” Danylenko noted. The building was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings close by display analogous art nouveau features, including a lack of symmetry – with a gothic tower on one side and a turret on the other. One much-loved house in the area boasts two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Several Challenges to Heritage

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who knock down listed buildings, corrupt officials and a administrative body indifferent or resistant to the city’s rich architectural history. The bitter winter climate imposes another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We lack real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He alleged the city’s mayor was closely associated with many of the developers who flatten important houses. Perov further alleged that the plan for the capital comes straight out of a bygone era. The mayor rejects these claims, stating they come from political rivals.

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

Destruction and Abandonment

One notorious example of destruction is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired 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 prepared foundations for a new commercial complex, watched by a stern security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was not much hope for the remaining coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers demolished old properties while asserting they were doing “archaeological research”, he said. A former political system also inflicted immense damage on the capital, redesigning its central boulevard after the second world war so it could facilitate large-scale parades.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most prominent advocates of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was killed in 2022 while serving in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were continuing his vital preservation work. There were initially 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s successful entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their original doors remain, she said.

“It was not aerial bombardments that got rid of them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could last another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now not a thing 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 also serves as a film set and museum. The property has a new crimson entrance and authentic railings; inside is a vintage sanitary facility and antique mirrors.

“The war could go on for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now little will be left.”

The building’s tenant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not appreciate the past? “Regrettably they do not have education and taste. It’s all about business. We are trying as a country to move towards the west. But we are still not yet close from such cultural awareness,” he said. Previous ways of thinking persisted, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Hope in Preservation

Some buildings are falling apart because of institutional abandonment. Chudna showed a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons made their home among its shattered windows; rubbish lay under a fairytale tower. “Many times we lose the battle,” she admitted. “This activity is a coping mechanism for us. We are striving to save all this heritage and beauty.”

In the face of destruction and commercial interests, these activists continue their work, one building at a time, arguing that to save a city’s identity, you must first cherish its stones.