Safeguarding Kyiv's Architectural Legacy: A City Rebuilding Its Foundations Under the Threat of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her newly installed front door. Local helpers had affectionately dubbed its graceful transom window the “croissant”, a whimsical nod to its bowed shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a peacock,” she remarked, gazing at its branch-like ornamentation. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who commemorated the work with two neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of resistance against an invading force, she clarified: “Our aim is to live like ordinary people in spite of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the optimal way. Fear does not drive us of living in our country. I could have left, starting anew to Italy. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our commitment to our homeland.”

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

Preserving Kyiv’s historic buildings seems unusual at a time when missile strikes frequently hit the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, offensive operations have been notably increased. After each attack, workers cover blown-out windows with plywood and try, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Among the Bombs, a Fight for History

Despite the violence, a band of activists has been striving to save the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a distinctive style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the historic Shevchenkivskyi district. It was built in 1906 and was originally the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its exterior is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon nowadays,” Danylenko said. The residence was designed by a designer of Central European origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity exhibit comparable art nouveau elements, including asymmetry – with a medieval spire on one side and a projection on the other. One beloved house in the area boasts two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Several Dangers to History

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who raze listed buildings, dishonest officials and a governing class indifferent or opposed to the city’s rich architectural history. The harsh winter climate imposes another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We are missing substantive 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 destroy important houses. Perov further alleged that the concept for the capital comes straight out of a different time. The mayor rejects these claims, attributing them from political rivals.

Perov said many of the public-spirited activists who once championed older properties were now serving in the military or had been lost. The protracted conflict meant that all citizens was facing monetary strain, he added, including judicial figures who curiously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see decline of our society and governing institutions,” he remarked.

Destruction and Neglect

One egregious location of loss is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had pledged to preserve its charming brick facade. Shortly following the onset of major hostilities, diggers razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane prepared 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 claiming they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A former political system also caused immense damage on the capital, redesigning its primary street after the second world war so it could allow for official processions.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most notable champions of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was fell in 2022 while serving in a eastern city. 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 constructed for the city’s wealthy entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their original doors remain, she said.

“It was not external attacks that eliminated them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now little will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique creeper-covered house built in 1910, which acts as the headquarters of her cultural organization and also serves 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 go on for another 20 years. If we fail to protect 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 residents not cherish the past? “Sadly they do not have education and taste. It’s all about business. We are attempting as a country to go to the west. But we are still a way off from that standard,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking remained, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Hope in Action

Some buildings are falling apart because of institutional abandonment. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons made their home among its shattered windows; debris lay under a whimsical tower. “Often we are unsuccessful,” she acknowledged. “This activity is a coping mechanism for us. We are trying to save all this heritage and aesthetic value.”

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