Preserving Kyiv's Architectural Legacy: A City Reconstructing Itself Under the Threat of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her recently completed front door. Volunteers had affectionately dubbed its graceful transom window the “croissant”, a playful reference to its bowed shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a showy bird,” she commented, gazing at its tree limb-inspired features. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who commemorated the work with several impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an act of defiance towards a neighboring state, she clarified: “We are trying to live like everyday people in spite of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the best possible way. Fear does not drive us of staying in our homeland. I had the option to depart, starting anew to another European nation. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance represents our commitment to our homeland.”

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

Protecting Kyiv’s architectural heritage could be considered unusual at a period when missile strikes regularly target the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, aerial raids have been dramatically stepped up. After each attack, workers seal broken windows with plywood and try, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Within the Conflict, a Campaign for Identity

In the midst of war, a group of activists has been working to conserve the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a playful style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the historic Shevchenkivskyi district. It was built in 1906 and was initially the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its exterior is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce in the present day,” Danylenko noted. The mansion was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings close by display analogous art nouveau features, including asymmetry – with a gothic tower on one side and a projection on the other. One much-loved house in the area features two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Multiple Challenges to Legacy

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who raze historically significant buildings, dishonest officials and a political leadership apathetic or hostile to the city’s vast architectural history. The harsh winter climate presents another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. 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 bulldoze important houses. Perov added that the vision for the capital comes straight out of a different time. The mayor has refuted these claims, stating they come from political rivals.

Perov said many of the community-oriented activists who once protected older properties were now engaged in combat or had been fallen. The protracted conflict meant that all citizens was facing monetary strain, he added, including those in the legal system who mysteriously ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see degradation of our society and state bodies,” he contended.

Destruction and Abandonment

One notorious 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 picturesque brick facade. Shortly following the onset of major hostilities, heavy machinery tore it down. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new commercial complex, monitored by a surly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was faint chance for the remaining blue-green houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled old properties while asserting they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A previous regime also inflicted immense damage on the capital, redesigning its central boulevard after the second world war so it could accommodate large-scale parades.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most prominent champions of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was killed in 2022 while serving in the frontline. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were continuing his important preservation work. There were originally 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s successful industrialists. Only 80 of their period doors are still in existence, she said.

“It wasn’t foreign rockets that got rid of them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we don’t defend 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 red door and original-style railings; inside is a vintage sanitary facility and antique mirrors.

“The war could continue for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now not a thing will be left.”

The building’s tenant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “incredibly atmospheric and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not cherish the past? “Regrettably they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are striving as a country to go to the west. But we are still not yet close from such cultural awareness,” he said. Previous ways of thinking remained, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Therapy in Action

Some buildings are falling apart because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons made their home among its shattered windows; rubbish lay under a fairytale tower. “Frequently we are unsuccessful,” she acknowledged. “This activity is a form of healing for us. We are attempting to save all this history and splendour.”

In the face of destruction and development pressures, these activists continue their work, one facade at a time, stating that to save a city’s heart, you must first protect its walls.