Preserving Kyiv's Architectural Legacy: A City Reconstructing Itself Amidst the Onslaught of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her newly installed front door. The restoration team had affectionately dubbed its graceful transom window the “croissant”, a whimsical nod to its curved shape. “I think it’s more of a peafowl,” she stated, appreciating its tree limb-inspired ornamentation. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who celebrated with a couple of impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an act of resistance in the face of an invading force, she explained: “We strive to live like normal people despite the war. It’s about organizing our life in the best possible way. Fear does not drive us of remaining in Ukraine. I could have left, moving away to a foreign land. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance represents our commitment to our homeland.”

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

Preserving Kyiv’s architectural heritage seems paradoxical at a moment when drone attacks routinely fall the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, aerial raids have been dramatically stepped up. After each strike, workers seal broken windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Among the Conflict, a Battle for Beauty

In the midst of war, a collective of activists has been working to conserve the city’s decaying 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 originally the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its outer walls is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce in the present day,” Danylenko noted. The mansion was designed by a designer of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity exhibit analogous art nouveau elements, including asymmetry – with a gothic tower on one side and a projection on the other. One beloved house in the area displays two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Dual Threats to History

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who knock down historically significant buildings, corrupt officials and a political leadership apathetic or hostile to the city’s profound architectural history. The severe winter climate imposes another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We don’t have substantive political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s leadership was allied with many of the developers who flatten important houses. Perov added that the vision for the capital harks back to a bygone era. The mayor denies these claims, saying they originate from political rivals.

Perov said many of the community-oriented activists who once championed older properties were now engaged in combat or had been fallen. The ongoing conflict meant that everyone was facing financial problems, he added, including those in the legal system who mysteriously ruled in favour of dubious new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see degradation of our society and public institutions,” he remarked.

Demolition and Neglect

One notorious example of destruction is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had committed to preserve its attractive brick facade. Shortly following the 2022 invasion, excavators demolished it. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new shopping and business centre, observed by a unfriendly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was little optimism for the remaining turquoise-painted houses on the site. Sometimes developers destroyed old properties while asserting they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A former political system also inflicted immense damage on the capital, rebuilding its primary street after the second world war so it could allow for large-scale parades.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most prominent advocates of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was killed 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 originally 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s wealthy business magnates. Only 80 of their period doors remain, she said.

“It wasn’t aerial bombardments that eliminated them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now not a thing will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a full of character ivy-draped house built in 1910, which functions 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 historic washroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could go on for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now not a thing will be left.”

The building’s occupant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “very cool and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens not value the past? “Regrettably they do not have education and taste. It’s all about business. We are attempting as a country to integrate with the west. But we are still a way off from such cultural awareness,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking lingered, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Resilience in Preservation

Some buildings are collapsing because of institutional abandonment. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons roosted among its shattered windows; rubbish lay under a fairytale tower. “Many times we lose the battle,” she admitted. “Preservation work is therapy for us. We are striving to save all this past and splendour.”

In the face of war and commercial interests, these volunteers continue their work, one building at a time, stating that to preserve a city’s soul, you must first protect its walls.