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

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her recently completed front door. Volunteers had affectionately dubbed its ornate transom window the “crescent roll”, a whimsical nod to its arched shape. “I think it’s more of a showy bird,” she remarked, appreciating its twig-detailed details. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who marked the occasion with two impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an expression of defiance in the face of a neighboring state, she explained: “Our aim is to live like everyday people despite the war. It’s about arranging our life in the optimal way. Fear does not drive us of staying in our country. The possibility to emigrate existed, relocating to Italy. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance represents our allegiance to our homeland.”

“Our aim is to live like everyday people despite the war. It’s about shaping our life in the most positive way.”

Preserving Kyiv’s architectural heritage may appear strange at a time when drone attacks frequently hit the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, bombing campaigns have been notably increased. After each strike, workers seal blown-out windows with plywood and try, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Among the Explosions, a Battle for History

In the midst of war, a collective of activists has been attempting to preserve the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a playful style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the central Shevchenkivskyi district. It was constructed in 1906 and was first the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its facade is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce in the present day,” Danylenko noted. The building was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings close by showcase analogous art nouveau characteristics, including a lack of symmetry – with a medieval spire on one side and a projection on the other. One beloved house in the area features two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Several Threats to Heritage

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who raze listed buildings, dishonest officials and a political leadership indifferent or hostile to the city’s rich architectural history. The severe winter climate imposes another difficulty.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We are missing real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted 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 civically minded activists who once championed older properties were now fighting on the frontline or had been lost. The protracted conflict meant that all citizens was facing economic hardship, he added, including judicial figures who curiously ruled in favour of dubious new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see decline of our society and public institutions,” he remarked.

Demolition and Neglect

One glaring example of destruction is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had agreed to preserve its picturesque brick facade. Shortly following the full-scale invasion, heavy machinery demolished it. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new commercial complex, watched by a surly 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 claiming they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A 20th-century empire also caused immense damage on the capital, rebuilding its primary street after the second world war so it could allow for large-scale parades.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most prominent defenders of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was lost his life 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 originally 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s wealthy industrialists. Only 80 of their period doors are still in existence, she said.

“It wasn’t external attacks that destroyed them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now nothing will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful vine-clad 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 historic washroom 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 “very cool and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not appreciate the past? “Unfortunately they do not have education and taste. It’s all about business. We are trying as a country to integrate with the west. But we are still some distance away from that standard,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking persisted, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Resilience in Preservation

Some buildings are falling apart because of institutional abandonment. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons nested among its smashed windows; refuse lay under a whimsical tower. “Often we are unsuccessful,” she acknowledged. “Preservation work is therapy for us. We are trying to save all this history and aesthetic value.”

In the face of destruction and commercial interests, these citizens continue their work, one door at a time, believing that to rebuild a city’s identity, you must first protect its walls.