Safeguarding the Capital's Architectural Legacy: A City Rebuilding Itself Amidst the Onslaught of War.
Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her newly installed front door. The restoration team had affectionately dubbed its graceful transom window the “croissant”, a whimsical nod to its arched shape. “I think it’s more of a peacock,” she remarked, gazing at its tree limb-inspired ornamentation. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who celebrated with two impromptu pavement parties.
It was also an expression of opposition against an invading force, she clarified: “We strive to live like everyday people regardless of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the optimal way. Fear does not drive us of remaining in Ukraine. The possibility to emigrate existed, starting anew to a foreign land. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance shows our allegiance to our homeland.”
“We strive to live like ordinary people in spite of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the most positive way.”
Protecting Kyiv’s built legacy may appear paradoxical at a time when aerial assaults routinely fall the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, aerial raids have been notably increased. After each strike, workers cover broken windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.
Amid the Bombs, a Battle for History
Despite the violence, a band of activists has been attempting to conserve the city’s crumbling mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the historic Shevchenkivskyi district. It was constructed in 1906 and was first the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its facade is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.
“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare today,” Danylenko noted. The mansion was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings close by exhibit similar art nouveau features, including a lack of symmetry – with a pointed turret on one side and a small tower on the other. One popular house in the area displays two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.
Dual Threats to Legacy
But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who raze protected buildings, unethical officials and a governing class apathetic or resistant to the city’s rich architectural history. The bitter winter climate imposes another difficulty.
“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We don’t have genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s leadership was friends with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov further alleged that the concept for the capital is reminiscent 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 lengthy conflict meant that all citizens was facing financial problems, he added, including those in the legal system who curiously ruled in favour of dubious new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see decline of our society and public institutions,” he remarked.
Demolition and Neglect
One egregious demolition site is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had committed to preserve its charming brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the onset of major hostilities, excavators demolished it. Recently, a crane prepared 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 coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers destroyed old properties while claiming they were doing “archaeological research”, he said. A 20th-century empire also caused immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its central boulevard after the second world war so it could accommodate large-scale parades.
Upholding the Legacy
One of Kyiv’s most prominent advocates of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was fell in 2022 while fighting in the frontline. 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 constructed for the city’s wealthy industrialists. Only 80 of their authentic doors remain, she said.
“It was not foreign rockets that got rid of them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could last 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 creeper-covered house built in 1910, which serves as the headquarters of her cultural organization and doubles as a film set and museum. The property has a new crimson entrance and authentic 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 “incredibly atmospheric and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not appreciate the past? “Unfortunately they are without education and taste. It’s all about business. We are trying as a country to go to the west. But we are still some distance away from that standard,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking lingered, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.
Hope in Preservation
Some buildings are crumbling because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons nested among its smashed windows; rubbish lay under a storybook tower. “Many times we don’t win,” she conceded. “This activity is therapy for us. We are attempting to save all this history and aesthetic value.”
In the face of destruction and neglect, these citizens continue their work, one building at a time, arguing that to preserve a city’s heart, you must first protect its stones.
