Preserving Kyiv's Heritage: An Urban Center Reconstructing Its Foundations Under the Threat of War.
Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her newly installed front door. Volunteers had affectionately dubbed its elegant transom window the “croissant”, a lighthearted tribute to its curved shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a peacock,” she remarked, admiring its twig-detailed ornamentation. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who commemorated the work with several impromptu pavement parties.
It was also an expression of defiance against a neighboring state, she elaborated: “We are trying to live like everyday people in spite of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the most positive way. Fear does not drive us of staying in Ukraine. The possibility to emigrate existed, moving away to another European nation. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance represents our allegiance to our homeland.”
“We strive to live like ordinary people in spite of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the best possible way.”
Protecting Kyiv’s built legacy seems paradoxical at a period when missile strikes routinely fall the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, offensive operations have been notably increased. After each attack, workers seal shattered windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to secure residential buildings.
Within the Bombs, a Campaign for History
In the midst of war, a group of activists has been working to save the city’s crumbling mansions, built in a playful 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 prosperous fur dealer. Its facade is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.
“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare nowadays,” Danylenko stated. The building was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings close by display analogous art nouveau features, including an irregular shape – with a gothic tower on one side and a turret on the other. One much-loved house in the area features two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.
Several Challenges to Legacy
But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who demolish historically significant buildings, unethical officials and a administrative body apathetic or hostile to the city’s vast architectural history. The bitter winter climate adds another difficulty.
“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We don’t have real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He alleged the city’s leadership was allied with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov stated that the vision for the capital is reminiscent of a previous decade. The mayor rejects these claims, stating they come from political rivals.
Perov said many of the public-spirited activists who once championed older properties were now fighting on the frontline or had been lost. The ongoing conflict meant that all citizens was facing economic hardship, he added, including judicial figures who inexplicably ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see degradation of our society and public institutions,” he remarked.
Destruction and Disregard
One egregious example of destruction is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had agreed to preserve its picturesque brick facade. Shortly following the 2022 invasion, excavators tore it down. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new retail and office development, observed by a unfriendly 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 “historical excavation”, he said. A former political system also inflicted immense damage on the capital, rebuilding its central boulevard after the second world war so it could accommodate military vehicles.
Continuing the Work
One of Kyiv’s most renowned advocates of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was fell in 2022 while serving in the frontline. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his vital preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s successful business magnates. Only 80 of their authentic doors survived, she said.
“It wasn’t external attacks that got rid of them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could last another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now little will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a full of character vine-clad house built in 1910, which functions as the headquarters of her cultural organization and operates 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 last another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now nothing will be left.”
The building’s resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not value the past? “Unfortunately they do not have education and taste. It’s all about business. We are striving as a country to go to the west. But we are still a way off from civilization,” he said. Previous ways of thinking lingered, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.
Therapy in Restoration
Some buildings are collapsing because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons roosted among its shattered windows; rubbish lay under a whimsical tower. “Many times we don’t win,” she conceded. “Preservation work is a coping mechanism for us. We are striving to save all this past and beauty.”
In the face of war and commercial interests, these citizens continue their work, one facade at a time, believing that to rebuild a city’s heart, you must first protect its walls.
