Preserving Kyiv's Architectural Legacy: A City Reconstructing Its Foundations in the Shadow of War.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her recently completed front door. Local helpers had affectionately dubbed its graceful transom window the “crescent roll”, a lighthearted tribute to its curved shape. “I think it’s more of a peacock,” she remarked, gazing at its tree limb-inspired features. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who commemorated the work with a couple of impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an act of resistance towards an invading force, she clarified: “We strive to live like ordinary people regardless of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the optimal way. Fear does not drive us of remaining in our country. I could have left, starting anew to Italy. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our dedication to our homeland.”

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

Safeguarding Kyiv’s built legacy seems paradoxical at a time when drone attacks regularly target the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, bombing campaigns have been notably increased. After each assault, workers cover broken windows with plywood and try, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Amid the Conflict, a Fight for History

Amid the bombs, 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 central Shevchenkivskyi district. It was built in 1906 and was originally the home of a affluent 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 in the present day,” Danylenko noted. The building was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings close by showcase similar art nouveau characteristics, including asymmetry – with a pointed turret on one side and a turret on the other. One popular house in the area boasts two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Several Threats to Legacy

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who demolish listed buildings, unethical officials and a governing class apathetic or hostile to the city’s profound architectural history. The harsh winter climate presents another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We are missing real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He alleged the city’s leadership was friends with many of the developers who flatten important houses. Perov stated that the vision for the capital harks back to a bygone era. The mayor has refuted these claims, saying they originate 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 fallen. The ongoing conflict meant that the entire society was facing monetary strain, he added, including those in the legal system who mysteriously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see decline of our society and state bodies,” he contended.

Destruction and Abandonment

One notorious example of destruction is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had pledged to preserve its charming brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the 2022 invasion, excavators demolished it. 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 faint chance for the remaining turquoise-painted houses on the site. Sometimes developers demolished old properties while claiming they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A 20th-century empire also wrought immense damage on the capital, rebuilding its primary street after the second world war so it could accommodate military vehicles.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most prominent advocates of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was fell in 2022 while engaged in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were continuing his important preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s wealthy entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their original doors survived, she said.

“It was not external attacks that destroyed them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now nothing will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique 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 crimson entrance and authentic railings; inside is a period bathroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could go on for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now nothing will be left.”

The building’s tenant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “incredibly atmospheric and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not cherish the past? “Regrettably they do not have education and taste. It’s all about business. We are trying as a country to move towards the west. But we are still a way off from civilization,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking lingered, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Hope in Preservation

Some buildings are crumbling because of institutional abandonment. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons made their home among its broken windows; debris lay under a fairytale tower. “Frequently we don’t win,” she conceded. “This activity is a form of healing for us. We are attempting to save all this past and aesthetic value.”

In the face of conflict and commercial interests, these activists continue their work, one building at a time, believing that to save a city’s identity, you must first save its walls.