Preserving Kyiv's Architectural Legacy: An Urban Center Rebuilding Its Foundations Amidst the Onslaught of War.

Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her recently completed front door. Local helpers had given the moniker its graceful transom window the “pastry”, a lighthearted tribute to its arched shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a showy bird,” she commented, admiring its branch-like details. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who marked the occasion with several neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an expression of defiance against a neighboring state, she elaborated: “We are trying to live like everyday people regardless of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the optimal way. We have no fear of living in our country. I had the option to depart, relocating to a foreign land. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance shows our dedication to our homeland.”

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

Protecting Kyiv’s built legacy could be considered strange at a period when drone attacks frequently hit the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, offensive operations have been dramatically stepped up. After each attack, workers cover shattered windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Within the Bombs, a Campaign for Identity

Amid the bombs, a band of activists has been attempting to save the city’s crumbling mansions, built in a distinctive style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the downtown Shevchenkivskyi district. It was constructed in 1906 and was first the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its outer walls is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare today,” Danylenko said. The residence was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity display similar art nouveau elements, including a lack of symmetry – with a medieval spire on one side and a small tower on the other. One beloved house in the area boasts two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Several Dangers to Heritage

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who knock down protected buildings, dishonest officials and a political leadership apathetic or resistant to the city’s vast architectural history. The harsh winter climate presents another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We are missing genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He alleged the city’s mayor was friends with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov stated that the concept 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 public-spirited activists who once protected older properties were now fighting on the frontline or had been lost. The ongoing conflict meant that the entire society was facing financial problems, he added, including those in the legal system who curiously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see degradation of our society and public institutions,” he contended.

Loss and Neglect

One egregious example of destruction is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had pledged to preserve its attractive brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the 2022 invasion, excavators tore it down. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new commercial complex, observed by a stern security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was faint chance for the remaining turquoise-painted houses on the site. Sometimes developers destroyed old properties while claiming they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A former political system also inflicted immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its central boulevard after the second world war so it could facilitate large-scale parades.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most notable defenders of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was fell in 2022 while serving in the frontline. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his crucial preservation work. There were initially 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s successful industrialists. Only 80 of their period doors are still in existence, she said.

“It was not external attacks that got rid of them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could last another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now not a thing will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique 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 fail to protect architecture now not a thing will be left.”

The building’s occupant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not value the past? “Regrettably they are without education and taste. It’s all about business. We are attempting as a country to go to the west. But we are still not yet close from that standard,” he said. Previous ways of thinking lingered, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Resilience in Action

Some buildings are collapsing because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons roosted among its broken windows; rubbish lay under a fairytale tower. “Many times we lose the battle,” she conceded. “Preservation work is a coping mechanism for us. We are striving to save all this heritage and beauty.”

In the face of destruction and neglect, these volunteers continue their work, one door at a time, believing that to preserve a city’s heart, you must first save its walls.