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

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her freshly fitted front door. The restoration team had affectionately dubbed its elegant transom window the “croissant”, a playful reference to its curved shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a showy bird,” she commented, admiring its branch-like ornamentation. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who commemorated the work with a couple of lively pavement parties.

It was also an expression of resistance against an invading force, she explained: “Our aim is to live like ordinary people in spite of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the optimal way. We’re not afraid of staying in our country. The possibility to emigrate existed, relocating to another European nation. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance represents our dedication to our homeland.”

“Our aim is to live like normal people in spite of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the optimal way.”

Protecting Kyiv’s architectural heritage seems strange at a period when missile strikes frequently hit the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, offensive operations have been notably increased. After each assault, workers board up shattered windows with plywood and try, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Among the Bombs, a Campaign for History

Despite the violence, a group of activists has been striving to conserve the city’s decaying mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the central Shevchenkivskyi district. It was erected in 1906 and was first the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its facade is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon today,” Danylenko noted. The mansion was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings nearby display analogous art nouveau elements, including asymmetry – with a gothic tower on one side and a projection on the other. One much-loved house in the area features two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Dual Dangers to Legacy

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who raze listed buildings, dishonest officials and a governing class apathetic or resistant to the city’s rich architectural history. The severe winter climate adds another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where money wins. We lack real 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 flatten important houses. Perov added that the vision for the capital is reminiscent of a previous decade. The mayor denies these claims, saying they originate from political rivals.

Perov said many of the community-oriented activists who once championed older properties were now fighting on the frontline or had been killed. The protracted conflict meant that the entire society 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 goes on the more we see decline of our society and public institutions,” he contended.

Destruction and Abandonment

One glaring demolition site is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had pledged to preserve its picturesque brick facade. A day after the 2022 invasion, heavy machinery tore it down. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new retail and office development, monitored by a unfriendly 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 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 facilitate large-scale parades.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most renowned defenders of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was lost his life in 2022 while fighting in a eastern city. 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 erected for the city’s successful entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their authentic doors survived, she said.

“It wasn’t external attacks that eliminated them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could go on for 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 creeper-covered house built in 1910, which functions as the headquarters of her cultural organization and doubles as a film set and museum. The property has a new crimson entrance and period-correct railings; inside is a period bathroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could last another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now little will be left.”

The building’s occupant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “incredibly atmospheric and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens not cherish the past? “Regrettably they do not have education and taste. It’s all about business. We are attempting as a country to integrate with the west. But we are still some distance away from civilization,” he said. Previous ways of thinking remained, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Hope in Preservation

Some buildings are crumbling because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons made their home among its smashed windows; rubbish lay under a whimsical tower. “Often we lose the battle,” she conceded. “Preservation work is therapy for us. We are trying to save all this history and aesthetic value.”

In the face of destruction and development pressures, these citizens continue their work, one door at a time, believing that to save a city’s soul, you must first protect its walls.