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

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her newly installed front door. Volunteers had playfully nicknamed its ornate transom window the “croissant”, a whimsical nod to its arched shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a peacock,” she stated, appreciating its twig-detailed details. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who celebrated with several lively pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of resistance against an invading force, she explained: “We strive to live like ordinary people despite the war. It’s about organizing our life in the most positive way. We have no fear of staying in our homeland. I could have left, starting anew to a foreign land. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance represents our commitment to our homeland.”

“We strive to live like everyday people despite the war. It’s about shaping our life in the best possible way.”

Preserving Kyiv’s architectural heritage seems paradoxical at a period when drone attacks routinely fall the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, aerial raids have been significantly intensified. After each attack, workers board up blown-out windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Within the Conflict, a Battle for Identity

Despite the violence, a collective of activists has been striving to conserve the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a playful style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the downtown Shevchenkivskyi district. It was constructed in 1906 and was originally the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its exterior is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon in the present day,” Danylenko stated. The mansion was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings close by exhibit similar art nouveau features, including an irregular shape – with a pointed turret on one side and a small tower on the other. One much-loved house in the area boasts two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Dual Dangers to Heritage

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who demolish listed buildings, unethical officials and a administrative body apathetic or opposed to the city’s rich architectural history. The severe winter climate imposes another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We are missing real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s leadership was closely associated with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov stated that the plan for the capital is reminiscent of a bygone era. The mayor rejects these claims, saying they originate 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 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 persists the more we see deterioration of our society and public institutions,” he remarked.

Destruction and Neglect

One notorious demolition site is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had agreed to preserve its attractive brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the full-scale invasion, excavators tore it down. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new shopping and business centre, observed by a stern security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was little optimism for the remaining blue-green houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled old properties while stating they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A former political system also caused immense damage on the capital, redesigning its central boulevard after the second world war so it could allow for military vehicles.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most renowned defenders of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was killed in 2022 while serving in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were continuing his crucial preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s prosperous industrialists. Only 80 of their authentic doors are still in existence, she said.

“It wasn’t external attacks that got rid of them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we fail to protect 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 functions as the headquarters of her cultural organization and also serves as a film set and museum. The property has a new vermilion portal and authentic railings; inside is a historic washroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could continue for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now nothing will be left.”

The building’s tenant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “very cool and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not appreciate the past? “Sadly they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are attempting as a country to integrate with the west. But we are still not yet close from that standard,” he said. Previous ways of thinking lingered, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Therapy in Preservation

Some buildings are collapsing because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna showed a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons nested among its smashed windows; rubbish lay under a whimsical tower. “Frequently we are unsuccessful,” she acknowledged. “Preservation work is a form of healing for us. We are attempting to save all this heritage and aesthetic value.”

In the face of conflict and neglect, these volunteers continue their work, one door at a time, stating that to rebuild a city’s soul, you must first protect its stones.