Safeguarding the Capital's Architectural Legacy: A City Reconstructing Itself Under the Threat of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her freshly fitted front door. The restoration team had affectionately dubbed its elegant transom window the “pastry”, a playful reference to its arched shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a peafowl,” she stated, admiring its tree limb-inspired features. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who celebrated with several impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of opposition against an invading force, she elaborated: “Our aim is to live like everyday people regardless of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the optimal way. We have no fear of living in our country. I could have left, relocating to a foreign land. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance represents our commitment to our homeland.”

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

Safeguarding Kyiv’s historic buildings seems strange at a period when aerial assaults regularly target the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, aerial raids have been notably increased. After each attack, workers cover broken windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Amid the Explosions, a Fight for Beauty

Despite the violence, a group 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 downtown Shevchenkivskyi district. It was erected in 1906 and was initially the home of a wealthy 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 today,” Danylenko said. The building was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity showcase comparable art nouveau characteristics, including asymmetry – with a pointed turret on one side and a small tower on the other. One popular house in the area displays two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Dual Challenges to History

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who raze listed buildings, dishonest officials and a administrative body indifferent or hostile to the city’s vast architectural history. The harsh winter climate presents another burden.

“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 allied with many of the developers who flatten important houses. Perov stated that the plan for the capital comes straight out of a previous decade. The mayor denies these claims, saying they originate from political rivals.

Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once defended 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 mysteriously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see deterioration of our society and governing institutions,” he argued.

Loss and Disregard

One egregious demolition site is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had pledged to preserve its attractive brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the 2022 invasion, diggers demolished it. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new retail and office development, monitored by a stern security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was little optimism for the remaining coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled old properties while asserting they were doing “archaeological research”, he said. A 20th-century empire also wrought immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its central boulevard after the second world war so it could facilitate official processions.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most notable defenders of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was killed in 2022 while engaged in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were continuing his crucial preservation work. There were originally 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s successful industrialists. Only 80 of their period doors remain, she said.

“It wasn’t external attacks that destroyed them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now little will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique ivy-draped house built in 1910, which serves as the headquarters of her cultural organization and operates as a film set and museum. The property has a new red door and original-style railings; inside is a historic washroom and antique mirrors.

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

The building’s resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “incredibly atmospheric and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not cherish 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 such cultural awareness,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking remained, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Resilience in Action

Some buildings are crumbling because of institutional abandonment. Chudna showed a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons roosted among its smashed windows; refuse lay under a fairytale tower. “Many times we are unsuccessful,” she conceded. “This activity is a form of healing for us. We are striving to save all this past and beauty.”

In the face of destruction and development pressures, these activists continue their work, one door at a time, stating that to preserve a city’s soul, you must first protect its history.