Safeguarding the Capital's Heritage: An Urban Center Reconstructing Itself Under the Threat of War.
Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her newly installed front door. Volunteers had affectionately dubbed its elegant transom window the “crescent roll”, a whimsical nod to its bowed shape. “I think it’s more of a peacock,” she commented, admiring its twig-detailed features. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who celebrated with two lively pavement parties.
It was also an act of opposition towards a neighboring state, she clarified: “Our aim is to live like everyday people despite the war. It’s about arranging our life in the best possible way. We’re not afraid of staying in Ukraine. The possibility to emigrate existed, moving away to Italy. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance represents our commitment to our homeland.”
“We are trying to live like ordinary people despite the war. It’s about shaping our life in the optimal way.”
Preserving Kyiv’s architectural heritage may appear strange at a moment when aerial assaults frequently hit the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, aerial raids have been notably increased. After each attack, workers board up broken windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to save residential buildings.
Amid the Bombs, a Fight for History
In the midst of war, a collective of activists has been striving to preserve the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the historic Shevchenkivskyi district. It was built in 1906 and was first the home of a affluent fur dealer. Its outer walls is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers.
“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce nowadays,” Danylenko stated. The building was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity display similar art nouveau features, including an irregular shape – with a gothic tower on one side and a small tower on the other. One much-loved house in the area displays two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.
Dual Dangers to Legacy
But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who demolish protected buildings, unethical officials and a governing class indifferent or hostile to the city’s vast architectural history. The severe winter climate imposes another difficulty.
“Kyiv is a city where money wins. We are missing substantive 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 destroy important houses. Perov further alleged that the concept for the capital is reminiscent of a bygone era. The mayor has refuted these claims, attributing them 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 lost. The ongoing conflict meant that everyone was facing economic hardship, he added, including those in the legal system who mysteriously ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see deterioration of our society and state bodies,” he remarked.
Demolition and Neglect
One notorious demolition site is in the waterside 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, excavators razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new commercial complex, observed by a unfriendly security guard.
Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was not much hope for the remaining coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers destroyed old properties while stating they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A former political system also wrought immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its primary street after the second world war so it could allow for large-scale parades.
Upholding the Legacy
One of Kyiv’s most prominent champions of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was lost his life in 2022 while serving in the frontline. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his crucial preservation work. There were originally 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s wealthy industrialists. Only 80 of their authentic doors remain, she said.
“It wasn’t foreign rockets that destroyed them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could last another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now nothing will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique creeper-covered house built in 1910, which serves as the headquarters of her cultural organization and also serves as a film set and museum. The property has a new red door and original-style railings; inside is a period bathroom and antique mirrors.
“The war could continue for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now nothing will be left.”
The building’s occupant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “very cool and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not cherish the past? “Sadly 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 not yet close from such cultural awareness,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking lingered, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.
Resilience in Restoration
Some buildings are falling apart because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons roosted among its smashed windows; refuse lay under a fairytale tower. “Frequently we are unsuccessful,” she acknowledged. “This activity is therapy for us. We are striving to save all this past and splendour.”
In the face of war and commercial interests, these activists continue their work, one building at a time, stating that to preserve a city’s soul, you must first save its stones.
