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

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her newly installed front door. Volunteers had affectionately dubbed its graceful transom window the “crescent roll”, a lighthearted tribute to its arched shape. “I think it’s more of a showy bird,” she remarked, appreciating its branch-like ornamentation. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who celebrated with several impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an act of defiance towards a neighboring state, she explained: “We strive to live like ordinary people regardless of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the optimal way. We’re not afraid of living in Ukraine. The possibility to emigrate existed, starting anew to another European nation. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance shows our dedication to our homeland.”

“We are trying to live like normal people in spite of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the most positive way.”

Preserving Kyiv’s historic buildings seems unusual at a period when aerial assaults routinely fall the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, offensive operations have been notably increased. After each assault, workers board up broken windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Amid the Explosions, a Campaign for Beauty

Amid the bombs, a collective of activists has been attempting 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 originally the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its facade is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon today,” Danylenko said. The mansion was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings close by showcase comparable art nouveau elements, including an irregular shape – with a pointed turret on one side and a small tower on the other. One beloved house in the area displays two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Several Threats to History

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who demolish listed buildings, dishonest officials and a administrative body indifferent or hostile to the city’s vast architectural history. The harsh winter climate imposes another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We are missing real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s leadership was allied with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov further alleged that the vision for the capital harks back to a previous decade. The mayor rejects these claims, stating they come from political rivals.

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

Destruction and Abandonment

One glaring example of destruction is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had committed to preserve its charming brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the full-scale invasion, diggers tore it down. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new retail and office development, watched by a unfriendly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was faint chance for the remaining blue-green houses on the site. Sometimes developers demolished old properties while claiming they were doing “archaeological research”, he said. A previous regime also inflicted immense damage on the capital, redesigning its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could facilitate military vehicles.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most renowned defenders of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was fell in 2022 while fighting in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his important preservation work. There were originally 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s prosperous entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their authentic 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 neglect architecture now nothing will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful creeper-covered house built in 1910, which acts as the headquarters of her cultural organization and doubles 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 last 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 “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not cherish the past? “Sadly they are without 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 that standard,” he said. Previous ways of thinking remained, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Hope in Preservation

Some buildings are collapsing because of official neglect. Chudna showed a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons nested among its shattered windows; refuse lay under a whimsical tower. “Many times we don’t win,” she admitted. “Preservation work is a form of healing for us. We are attempting to save all this history and aesthetic value.”

In the face of conflict and commercial interests, these citizens continue their work, one door at a time, arguing that to preserve a city’s soul, you must first cherish its history.