Preserving the Capital's Architectural Legacy: A City Reconstructing Itself in the Shadow of Conflict.
Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her recently completed front door. Volunteers had playfully nicknamed its elegant transom window the “pastry”, a whimsical nod to its arched shape. “I think it’s more of a peacock,” she commented, appreciating its twig-detailed ornamentation. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who celebrated with several lively pavement parties.
It was also an expression of defiance towards an invading force, she clarified: “We are trying to live like ordinary people regardless of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the best possible way. We have no fear of living in our country. I had the option to depart, moving away to a foreign land. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance shows our allegiance to our homeland.”
“Our aim is to live like ordinary people in spite of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the optimal way.”
Preserving Kyiv’s built legacy may appear strange at a moment when drone attacks frequently hit the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, bombing campaigns have been dramatically stepped up. After each strike, workers board up shattered windows with plywood and try, where possible, to save residential buildings.
Among the Conflict, a Campaign for Identity
In the midst of war, a group of activists has been striving to preserve 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 initially the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its exterior is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.
“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare today,” Danylenko said. The building was designed by a designer of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings close by display analogous art nouveau characteristics, including a lack of symmetry – with a medieval spire on one side and a projection on the other. One popular house in the area boasts two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.
Dual Dangers to History
But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who demolish historically significant buildings, unethical officials and a political leadership unconcerned or opposed to the city’s vast architectural history. The severe winter climate presents another challenge.
“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We lack substantive political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He alleged the city’s mayor was allied with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov further alleged that the concept for the capital is reminiscent of a bygone era. The mayor denies these claims, attributing them from political rivals.
Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once protected older properties were now serving in the military or had been killed. The protracted conflict meant that all citizens was facing monetary strain, he added, including judicial figures who inexplicably ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see degradation of our society and governing institutions,” he contended.
Loss and Neglect
One glaring demolition site is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had agreed to preserve its charming brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the full-scale invasion, diggers razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new retail and office development, observed by a surly security guard.
Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was not much hope for the remaining turquoise-painted houses on the site. Sometimes developers demolished old properties while claiming they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A 20th-century empire also inflicted immense damage on the capital, redesigning its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could accommodate official processions.
Continuing the Work
One of Kyiv’s most notable champions of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was killed 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 erected for the city’s successful industrialists. Only 80 of their period doors survived, she said.
“It wasn’t foreign rockets that destroyed them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now little will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful creeper-covered house built in 1910, which functions as the headquarters of her cultural organization and operates as a film set and museum. The property has a new red door and authentic railings; inside is a period bathroom and antique mirrors.
“The war could continue for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now nothing will be left.”
The building’s tenant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “very cool and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not cherish the past? “Sadly they are without education and taste. It’s all about business. We are striving as a country to go to the west. But we are still a way off from such cultural awareness,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking remained, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.
Hope in Action
Some buildings are crumbling because of official neglect. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons roosted among its shattered windows; refuse lay under a whimsical tower. “Often we are unsuccessful,” she acknowledged. “Restoration is a form of healing for us. We are attempting to save all this past and splendour.”
In the face of destruction and neglect, these volunteers continue their work, one facade at a time, arguing that to save a city’s identity, you must first cherish its stones.
