Safeguarding Kyiv's Architectural Legacy: A City Reconstructing Itself Amidst the Onslaught of War.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her newly installed front door. Local helpers had playfully nicknamed its elegant transom window the “pastry”, a playful reference to its curved shape. “I think it’s more of a peafowl,” she remarked, appreciating its tree limb-inspired details. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who celebrated with two lively pavement parties.

It was also an act of opposition against an invading force, she elaborated: “We are trying to live like normal people in spite of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the best possible way. We have no fear of remaining in Ukraine. I had the option to depart, relocating to another European nation. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our allegiance to our homeland.”

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

Preserving Kyiv’s historic buildings may appear unusual at a period when missile strikes frequently hit the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, bombing campaigns have been notably increased. After each assault, workers board up blown-out windows with plywood and try, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Amid the Conflict, a Fight for Beauty

In the midst of war, a group of activists has been striving to preserve the city’s decaying mansions, built in a playful style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the central Shevchenkivskyi district. It was built in 1906 and was initially the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its exterior is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce nowadays,” Danylenko noted. The building was designed by a designer of Central European origin. Several other buildings close by display analogous art nouveau features, including a lack of symmetry – with a pointed turret on one side and a turret on the other. One beloved house in the area features two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Dual Threats to Heritage

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

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We don’t have genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s mayor was closely associated with many of the developers who flatten important houses. Perov stated that the vision for the capital harks back to a bygone era. The mayor has refuted these claims, saying they originate from political rivals.

Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once championed older properties were now serving in the military or had been lost. The ongoing conflict meant that everyone was facing monetary strain, he added, including judicial figures who inexplicably ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see deterioration of our society and state bodies,” he contended.

Loss and Abandonment

One glaring location of loss is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had committed to preserve its charming brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the 2022 invasion, diggers razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new retail and office development, observed by a surly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was little optimism for the remaining turquoise-painted houses on the site. Sometimes developers destroyed old properties while asserting they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A previous regime also caused immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its central boulevard after the second world war so it could accommodate large-scale parades.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most prominent defenders of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was killed in 2022 while fighting in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his important preservation work. There were originally 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s wealthy 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 said with regret. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now not a thing will be left,” she emphasized. 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 doubles 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 go on for another 20 years. If we neglect 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 residents not appreciate the past? “Unfortunately they do not have education and taste. It’s all about business. We are trying as a country to go to the west. But we are still not yet close from civilization,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking lingered, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Hope in Action

Some buildings are collapsing because of institutional abandonment. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons roosted among its shattered windows; refuse lay under a fairytale tower. “Many times we lose the battle,” she admitted. “Restoration is a form of healing for us. We are attempting to save all this heritage and splendour.”

In the face of war and neglect, these activists continue their work, one building at a time, believing that to rebuild a city’s heart, you must first protect its history.