Safeguarding the Capital's Architectural Legacy: A City Rebuilding Itself in the Shadow of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her freshly fitted front door. Local helpers had playfully nicknamed its elegant transom window the “croissant”, a whimsical nod to its curved shape. “I think it’s more of a peafowl,” she stated, admiring its tree limb-inspired ornamentation. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who celebrated with two lively pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of opposition against an invading force, she elaborated: “We are trying to live like everyday people in spite of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the most positive way. We have no fear of staying in our homeland. The possibility to emigrate existed, relocating to another European nation. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance shows our allegiance to our homeland.”

“Our aim is to live like ordinary people regardless of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the optimal way.”

Preserving Kyiv’s historic buildings could be considered strange at a time when missile strikes regularly target the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, bombing campaigns have been notably increased. After each attack, workers board up blown-out windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Among the Conflict, a Battle for History

In the midst of war, a collective of activists has been attempting to preserve the city’s crumbling mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the downtown Shevchenkivskyi district. It was erected in 1906 and was originally the home of a affluent fur dealer. Its outer walls is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon nowadays,” Danylenko stated. The residence was designed by a designer of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity showcase comparable art nouveau elements, including an irregular shape – with a gothic tower on one side and a projection on the other. One much-loved house in the area displays two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Dual Dangers to History

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who raze historically significant buildings, unethical officials and a administrative body indifferent or resistant to the city’s rich architectural history. The harsh winter climate presents another burden.

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

Perov said many of the community-oriented activists who once protected older properties were now fighting on the frontline or had been lost. The ongoing conflict meant that everyone was facing economic hardship, he added, including judicial figures who mysteriously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see deterioration of our society and governing institutions,” he argued.

Loss and Abandonment

One glaring demolition site 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 charming brick facade. A day after the full-scale invasion, diggers demolished it. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new shopping and business centre, observed by a surly 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 “scientific study”, he said. A previous regime also caused immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its primary street after the second world war so it could facilitate military vehicles.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most prominent advocates of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was fell in 2022 while fighting in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his crucial preservation work. There were initially 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s prosperous entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their period doors survived, she said.

“It was not foreign rockets that got rid of them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could last another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now nothing 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 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 neglect architecture now nothing will be left.”

The building’s resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “very cool and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not appreciate 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 such cultural awareness,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking lingered, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Resilience in Preservation

Some buildings are collapsing because of official neglect. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons roosted among its broken windows; rubbish lay under a fairytale tower. “Often we are unsuccessful,” she admitted. “This activity is therapy for us. We are striving to save all this past and beauty.”

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