Protecting the Capital's Heritage: A City Rebuilding Itself Under the Threat of War.
Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her recently completed front door. Volunteers had affectionately dubbed its graceful transom window the “pastry”, a playful reference to its bowed shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a peafowl,” she commented, admiring its branch-like ornamentation. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who commemorated the work with two neighbourhood pavement parties.
It was also an act of opposition towards a foreign power, she explained: “Our aim is to live like normal people in spite of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the best possible way. We have no fear of remaining in our homeland. The possibility to emigrate existed, starting anew to another European nation. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our dedication to our homeland.”
“We are trying to live like everyday people despite the war. It’s about organizing our life in the most positive way.”
Safeguarding Kyiv’s built legacy seems strange at a period when aerial assaults routinely fall the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, aerial raids have been significantly intensified. After each strike, workers board up shattered windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to secure residential buildings.
Amid the Conflict, a Battle for History
Amid the bombs, a band of activists has been striving to preserve the city’s crumbling mansions, built in a playful style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the downtown Shevchenkivskyi district. It was erected in 1906 and was initially the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its outer walls is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.
“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce nowadays,” Danylenko said. The building was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity display comparable art nouveau elements, including asymmetry – with a pointed turret on one side and a projection on the other. One popular house in the area boasts two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.
Multiple Threats to History
But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who knock down listed buildings, corrupt officials and a political leadership apathetic or opposed to the city’s rich architectural history. The severe winter climate presents another difficulty.
“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We are missing genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He alleged the city’s leadership was allied with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov stated that the vision for the capital harks back to a previous decade. The mayor denies these claims, saying they originate from political rivals.
Perov said many of the community-oriented activists who once defended older properties were now serving in the military or had been fallen. The protracted conflict meant that everyone was facing financial problems, he added, including those in the legal system who inexplicably ruled in favour of dubious new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see degradation of our society and state bodies,” he argued.
Destruction and Abandonment
One notorious demolition site is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had pledged to preserve its attractive brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the onset of major hostilities, excavators demolished it. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new commercial complex, watched 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 demolished old properties while asserting they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A previous regime also inflicted immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its primary street 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 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 vital preservation work. There were originally 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s wealthy industrialists. Only 80 of their authentic doors remain, she said.
“It was not aerial bombardments that eliminated them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now little will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful ivy-draped house built in 1910, which functions as the headquarters of her cultural organization and doubles as a film set and museum. The property has a new crimson entrance and period-correct railings; inside is a historic washroom and antique mirrors.
“The war could last another 20 years. If we neglect 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 citizens not appreciate the past? “Sadly they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are attempting as a country to move towards the west. But we are still not yet close from that standard,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking remained, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.
Resilience in Restoration
Some buildings are falling apart because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna showed a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons made their home among its smashed windows; rubbish lay under a whimsical tower. “Often we are unsuccessful,” she admitted. “This activity is therapy for us. We are attempting to save all this past and beauty.”
In the face of war and development pressures, these citizens continue their work, one facade at a time, believing that to preserve a city’s heart, you must first cherish its walls.