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

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her newly installed front door. Volunteers had affectionately dubbed its graceful transom window the “pastry”, a lighthearted tribute to its curved shape. “I think it’s more of a peafowl,” she remarked, gazing at its branch-like features. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who marked the occasion with two impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an expression of defiance against a foreign power, she clarified: “Our aim is to live like everyday people in spite of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the optimal way. We have no fear of remaining in our homeland. I had the option to depart, relocating to Italy. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance represents our commitment to our homeland.”

“Our aim is to live like normal people despite the war. It’s about organizing our life in the best possible way.”

Preserving Kyiv’s architectural heritage could be considered paradoxical at a moment when missile strikes frequently hit the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, bombing campaigns have been dramatically stepped up. After each attack, workers cover blown-out windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Among the Explosions, a Battle for Beauty

In the midst of war, a group of activists has been attempting 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 constructed in 1906 and was initially the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its outer walls is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare in the present day,” Danylenko stated. The residence was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity display comparable art nouveau features, including an irregular shape – with a gothic tower on one side and a turret on the other. One popular house in the area features two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Multiple Dangers to Legacy

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who demolish protected buildings, corrupt officials and a administrative body unconcerned or opposed to the city’s rich architectural history. The severe winter climate adds another difficulty.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We don’t have real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s mayor was closely associated with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov stated that the vision for the capital is reminiscent of a previous decade. The mayor has refuted these claims, attributing them from political rivals.

Perov said many of the public-spirited activists who once defended older properties were now engaged in combat or had been lost. The lengthy conflict meant that the entire society was facing financial problems, he added, including those in the legal system who mysteriously ruled in favour of dubious new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see decline of our society and governing institutions,” he contended.

Loss and Abandonment

One notorious example of destruction 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 charming brick facade. A day after the 2022 invasion, diggers razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new shopping and business centre, monitored by a surly security guard.

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

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most renowned champions of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was fell in 2022 while serving in the frontline. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his important preservation work. There were initially 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s prosperous business magnates. Only 80 of their original doors survived, she said.

“It wasn’t foreign rockets that eliminated them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now nothing will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful vine-clad house built in 1910, which acts as the headquarters of her cultural organization and operates as a film set and museum. The property has a new vermilion portal and original-style railings; inside is a vintage sanitary facility and antique mirrors.

“The war could continue for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now little will be left.”

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

Resilience in Restoration

Some buildings are crumbling because of institutional abandonment. Chudna showed a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons made their home among its broken windows; debris lay under a fairytale tower. “Frequently we are unsuccessful,” she conceded. “Preservation work is therapy for us. We are attempting to save all this history and aesthetic value.”

In the face of war and neglect, these citizens continue their work, one building at a time, stating that to rebuild a city’s identity, you must first protect its walls.