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

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her freshly fitted front door. Volunteers had playfully nicknamed its elegant transom window the “crescent roll”, a whimsical nod to its curved shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a peacock,” she remarked, admiring its tree limb-inspired ornamentation. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who marked the occasion with several lively pavement parties.

It was also an act of resistance in the face of a neighboring state, she clarified: “Our aim is to live like normal people regardless of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the best possible way. We have no fear of staying in our country. I could have left, starting anew to Italy. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance shows our allegiance to our homeland.”

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

Preserving Kyiv’s architectural heritage could be considered paradoxical at a period when missile strikes regularly target the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, offensive operations have been dramatically stepped up. After each strike, workers cover blown-out windows with plywood and try, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Within the Explosions, a Fight for History

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

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare today,” Danylenko stated. The residence was designed by a designer of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings nearby exhibit similar art nouveau characteristics, including asymmetry – with a gothic tower on one side and a projection on the other. One popular house in the area features two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Dual Threats to Legacy

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who knock down historically significant buildings, unethical officials and a political leadership apathetic or resistant to the city’s profound architectural history. The bitter winter climate adds another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We are missing substantive political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s mayor was allied with many of the developers who flatten important houses. Perov further alleged that the concept for the capital is reminiscent of a different time. The mayor rejects these claims, stating they come from political rivals.

Perov said many of the public-spirited activists who once defended older properties were now serving in the military or had been killed. The protracted conflict meant that everyone was facing financial problems, he added, including judicial figures who curiously ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see decline of our society and state bodies,” he remarked.

Demolition and Disregard

One notorious location of loss is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had pledged to preserve its picturesque brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the onset of major hostilities, diggers tore it down. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new commercial complex, monitored by a stern security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was not much hope for the remaining blue-green houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled old properties while stating they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A former political system also inflicted immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could allow for official processions.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most renowned champions of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was lost his life in 2022 while fighting in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were continuing his vital preservation work. There were originally 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s successful business magnates. Only 80 of their original doors survived, she said.

“It was not external attacks that eliminated them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now not a thing will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful 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 red door and original-style railings; inside is a period bathroom 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 “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not appreciate the past? “Unfortunately they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are striving as a country to go to the west. But we are still not yet close from civilization,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking remained, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Resilience in Action

Some buildings are crumbling because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons made their home among its shattered windows; debris lay under a storybook tower. “Frequently we lose the battle,” she acknowledged. “Preservation work is a coping mechanism for us. We are trying to save all this history and splendour.”

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