🔗 Share this article Safeguarding the Capital's Heritage: An Urban Center Reconstructing Itself in the Shadow of War. Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her recently completed front door. Volunteers had playfully nicknamed its elegant transom window the “pastry”, a playful reference to its bowed shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a peafowl,” she remarked, gazing at its twig-detailed details. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who commemorated the work with two lively pavement parties. It was also an act of resistance against a neighboring state, she elaborated: “Our aim is to live like ordinary people in spite of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the most positive way. We’re not afraid of staying in our country. I could have left, relocating to Italy. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance represents our commitment to our homeland.” “We are trying to live like normal people despite the war. It’s about organizing our life in the best possible way.” Preserving Kyiv’s architectural heritage may appear strange at a period when drone attacks regularly target the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, bombing campaigns have been notably increased. After each strike, workers cover broken windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to secure residential buildings. Among the Conflict, a Campaign for Identity Amid the bombs, a collective of activists has been working to save the city’s decaying mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the central Shevchenkivskyi district. It was erected in 1906 and was initially the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its outer walls is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers. “These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon today,” Danylenko noted. The mansion was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity showcase comparable art nouveau characteristics, including asymmetry – with a gothic tower on one side and a small tower on the other. One much-loved house in the area boasts two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp. Multiple Dangers to Heritage But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who raze listed buildings, dishonest officials and a political leadership apathetic or resistant to the city’s profound architectural history. The bitter winter climate presents another burden. “Kyiv is a city where money wins. We don’t have substantive political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s mayor was allied with many of the developers who flatten important houses. Perov added that the concept for the capital is reminiscent of a previous decade. The mayor denies these claims, stating they come from political rivals. Perov said many of the community-oriented activists who once protected older properties were now serving in the military or had been lost. The ongoing conflict meant that all citizens was facing economic hardship, he added, including judicial figures who inexplicably ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see degradation of our society and state bodies,” he argued. Destruction and Disregard One glaring demolition site is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had committed to preserve its attractive brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the onset of major hostilities, diggers tore it down. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new commercial complex, monitored 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 levelled old properties while stating they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A 20th-century empire also inflicted immense damage on the capital, redesigning its primary street after the second world war so it could accommodate official processions. Continuing the Work One of Kyiv’s most prominent advocates of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was killed in 2022 while fighting in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were continuing his important preservation work. There were initially 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s prosperous entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their period doors are still in existence, she said. “It was not aerial bombardments 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 continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful vine-clad 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 crimson entrance and period-correct railings; inside is a period bathroom and antique mirrors. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now not a thing will be left.” The building’s tenant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “incredibly atmospheric and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens not value the past? “Unfortunately they lack 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 civilization,” he said. Previous ways of thinking remained, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added. Resilience in Action Some buildings are crumbling because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons nested among its broken windows; rubbish lay under a storybook tower. “Many times we don’t win,” she acknowledged. “Preservation work is a coping mechanism for us. We are trying to save all this heritage and beauty.” In the face of war and development pressures, these activists continue their work, one building at a time, stating that to save a city’s identity, you must first save its stones.
Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her recently completed front door. Volunteers had playfully nicknamed its elegant transom window the “pastry”, a playful reference to its bowed shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a peafowl,” she remarked, gazing at its twig-detailed details. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who commemorated the work with two lively pavement parties. It was also an act of resistance against a neighboring state, she elaborated: “Our aim is to live like ordinary people in spite of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the most positive way. We’re not afraid of staying in our country. I could have left, relocating to Italy. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance represents our commitment to our homeland.” “We are trying to live like normal people despite the war. It’s about organizing our life in the best possible way.” Preserving Kyiv’s architectural heritage may appear strange at a period when drone attacks regularly target the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, bombing campaigns have been notably increased. After each strike, workers cover broken windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to secure residential buildings. Among the Conflict, a Campaign for Identity Amid the bombs, a collective of activists has been working to save the city’s decaying mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the central Shevchenkivskyi district. It was erected in 1906 and was initially the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its outer walls is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers. “These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon today,” Danylenko noted. The mansion was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity showcase comparable art nouveau characteristics, including asymmetry – with a gothic tower on one side and a small tower on the other. One much-loved house in the area boasts two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp. Multiple Dangers to Heritage But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who raze listed buildings, dishonest officials and a political leadership apathetic or resistant to the city’s profound architectural history. The bitter winter climate presents another burden. “Kyiv is a city where money wins. We don’t have substantive political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s mayor was allied with many of the developers who flatten important houses. Perov added that the concept for the capital is reminiscent of a previous decade. The mayor denies these claims, stating they come from political rivals. Perov said many of the community-oriented activists who once protected older properties were now serving in the military or had been lost. The ongoing conflict meant that all citizens was facing economic hardship, he added, including judicial figures who inexplicably ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see degradation of our society and state bodies,” he argued. Destruction and Disregard One glaring demolition site is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had committed to preserve its attractive brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the onset of major hostilities, diggers tore it down. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new commercial complex, monitored 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 levelled old properties while stating they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A 20th-century empire also inflicted immense damage on the capital, redesigning its primary street after the second world war so it could accommodate official processions. Continuing the Work One of Kyiv’s most prominent advocates of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was killed in 2022 while fighting in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were continuing his important preservation work. There were initially 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s prosperous entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their period doors are still in existence, she said. “It was not aerial bombardments 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 continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful vine-clad 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 crimson entrance and period-correct railings; inside is a period bathroom and antique mirrors. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now not a thing will be left.” The building’s tenant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “incredibly atmospheric and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens not value the past? “Unfortunately they lack 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 civilization,” he said. Previous ways of thinking remained, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added. Resilience in Action Some buildings are crumbling because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons nested among its broken windows; rubbish lay under a storybook tower. “Many times we don’t win,” she acknowledged. “Preservation work is a coping mechanism for us. We are trying to save all this heritage and beauty.” In the face of war and development pressures, these activists continue their work, one building at a time, stating that to save a city’s identity, you must first save its stones.