Preserving the Capital's Architectural Legacy: An Urban Center Reconstructing Its Foundations in the Shadow of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her recently completed front door. Local helpers had given the moniker its ornate transom window the “croissant”, a playful reference to its curved shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a peafowl,” she commented, admiring its twig-detailed ornamentation. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who marked the occasion with several lively pavement parties.

It was also an act of resistance against an invading force, she clarified: “Our aim is to live like everyday people despite the war. It’s about organizing our life in the best possible way. We have no fear of staying in our homeland. I had the option to depart, moving away to a foreign land. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance shows our commitment to our homeland.”

“We strive to live like ordinary people regardless of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the best possible way.”

Preserving Kyiv’s architectural heritage may appear strange at a period when aerial assaults regularly target 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 endeavor, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Within the Conflict, a Fight for History

Amid the bombs, a band of activists has been attempting to save the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a distinctive style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the historic Shevchenkivskyi district. It was erected in 1906 and was originally the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its facade is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare today,” Danylenko said. The mansion was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings close by exhibit analogous art nouveau features, including an irregular shape – with a medieval spire on one side and a small tower on the other. One beloved house in the area displays two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Multiple Challenges to Legacy

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who demolish historically significant buildings, unethical officials and a political leadership apathetic or resistant to the city’s vast architectural history. The harsh winter climate imposes another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We are missing real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He alleged the city’s leadership was allied with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov added that the plan for the capital is reminiscent of a different time. The mayor rejects these claims, saying they originate from political rivals.

Perov said many of the community-oriented activists who once defended older properties were now fighting on the frontline or had been killed. The lengthy conflict meant that the entire society was facing financial problems, he added, including those in the legal system who mysteriously ruled in favour of dubious new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see degradation of our society and public institutions,” he contended.

Destruction and Disregard

One glaring demolition site 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 attractive brick facade. Shortly following the 2022 invasion, heavy machinery demolished it. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new shopping and business centre, monitored 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 asserting they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A previous regime also wrought immense damage on the capital, rebuilding its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could allow for large-scale parades.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most notable defenders of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was fell 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 initially 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s successful business magnates. Only 80 of their original doors are still in existence, she said.

“It wasn’t aerial bombardments that got rid of them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now not a thing will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a full of character ivy-draped house built in 1910, which serves as the headquarters of her cultural organization and operates as a film set and museum. The property has a new vermilion portal and original-style railings; inside is a vintage sanitary facility 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 “incredibly atmospheric and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens not appreciate the past? “Sadly they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are trying as a country to go to the west. But we are still some distance away from civilization,” he said. Previous ways of thinking lingered, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Hope in Action

Some buildings are crumbling because of official neglect. Chudna showed a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons roosted among its shattered windows; debris lay under a whimsical tower. “Often we are unsuccessful,” she admitted. “Restoration is therapy for us. We are striving to save all this heritage and beauty.”

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