🔗 Share this article Protecting Kyiv's Heritage: A City Reconstructing Itself Amidst the Onslaught of Conflict. Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her freshly fitted front door. The restoration team had affectionately dubbed its ornate transom window the “crescent roll”, a lighthearted tribute to its curved shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a showy bird,” she remarked, admiring its branch-like features. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who marked the occasion with a couple of neighbourhood pavement parties. It was also an expression of opposition towards a foreign power, she clarified: “We strive to live like everyday people despite the war. It’s about organizing our life in the optimal way. Fear does not drive us of living in Ukraine. I had the option to depart, moving away to another European nation. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance shows our commitment to our homeland.” “We strive to live like ordinary people regardless of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the best possible way.” Preserving Kyiv’s built legacy may appear unusual at a moment when missile strikes frequently hit the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, aerial raids have been notably increased. After each attack, workers cover shattered windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to secure residential buildings. Amid the Explosions, a Campaign for History Amid the bombs, a collective of activists has been working to conserve the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the downtown Shevchenkivskyi district. It was constructed in 1906 and was first the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its outer walls is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers. “They are 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 in the vicinity display analogous art nouveau features, including asymmetry – with a medieval spire on one side and a turret on the other. One much-loved house in the area boasts two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil. Multiple Dangers to Heritage But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who knock down listed buildings, dishonest officials and a administrative body indifferent or hostile to the city’s rich architectural history. The bitter winter climate presents another burden. “Kyiv is a city where money wins. We lack genuine 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 stated that the vision 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 public-spirited activists who once protected older properties were now engaged in combat or had been fallen. The protracted conflict meant that the entire society was facing financial problems, he added, including judicial figures who inexplicably ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see decline of our society and governing institutions,” he remarked. Destruction and Disregard One notorious location of loss is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had committed to preserve its charming brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the full-scale invasion, heavy machinery tore it down. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new retail and office development, monitored by a surly security guard. Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was faint chance for the remaining coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers demolished old properties while stating they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A 20th-century empire also inflicted immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its central boulevard after the second world war so it could accommodate large-scale parades. Carrying the Torch One of Kyiv’s most prominent champions of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was killed in 2022 while serving in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his crucial preservation work. There were initially 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s wealthy entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their authentic doors remain, she said. “It was not foreign rockets that got rid of them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now not a thing will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique creeper-covered house built in 1910, which serves 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 historic washroom and antique mirrors. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now nothing will be left.” The building’s occupant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “very cool and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not cherish the past? “Sadly they do not have education and taste. It’s all about business. We are attempting as a country to move towards the west. But we are still some distance away from that standard,” he said. Previous ways of thinking persisted, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added. Hope in Action Some buildings are falling apart because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons nested among its shattered windows; refuse lay under a fairytale tower. “Often we don’t win,” she conceded. “Restoration is therapy for us. We are striving to save all this history and beauty.” In the face of destruction and neglect, these citizens continue their work, one facade at a time, believing that to rebuild a city’s soul, you must first cherish its stones.
Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her freshly fitted front door. The restoration team had affectionately dubbed its ornate transom window the “crescent roll”, a lighthearted tribute to its curved shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a showy bird,” she remarked, admiring its branch-like features. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who marked the occasion with a couple of neighbourhood pavement parties. It was also an expression of opposition towards a foreign power, she clarified: “We strive to live like everyday people despite the war. It’s about organizing our life in the optimal way. Fear does not drive us of living in Ukraine. I had the option to depart, moving away to another European nation. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance shows our commitment to our homeland.” “We strive to live like ordinary people regardless of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the best possible way.” Preserving Kyiv’s built legacy may appear unusual at a moment when missile strikes frequently hit the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, aerial raids have been notably increased. After each attack, workers cover shattered windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to secure residential buildings. Amid the Explosions, a Campaign for History Amid the bombs, a collective of activists has been working to conserve the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the downtown Shevchenkivskyi district. It was constructed in 1906 and was first the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its outer walls is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers. “They are 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 in the vicinity display analogous art nouveau features, including asymmetry – with a medieval spire on one side and a turret on the other. One much-loved house in the area boasts two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil. Multiple Dangers to Heritage But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who knock down listed buildings, dishonest officials and a administrative body indifferent or hostile to the city’s rich architectural history. The bitter winter climate presents another burden. “Kyiv is a city where money wins. We lack genuine 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 stated that the vision 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 public-spirited activists who once protected older properties were now engaged in combat or had been fallen. The protracted conflict meant that the entire society was facing financial problems, he added, including judicial figures who inexplicably ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see decline of our society and governing institutions,” he remarked. Destruction and Disregard One notorious location of loss is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had committed to preserve its charming brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the full-scale invasion, heavy machinery tore it down. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new retail and office development, monitored by a surly security guard. Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was faint chance for the remaining coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers demolished old properties while stating they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A 20th-century empire also inflicted immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its central boulevard after the second world war so it could accommodate large-scale parades. Carrying the Torch One of Kyiv’s most prominent champions of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was killed in 2022 while serving in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his crucial preservation work. There were initially 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s wealthy entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their authentic doors remain, she said. “It was not foreign rockets that got rid of them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now not a thing will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique creeper-covered house built in 1910, which serves 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 historic washroom and antique mirrors. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now nothing will be left.” The building’s occupant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “very cool and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not cherish the past? “Sadly they do not have education and taste. It’s all about business. We are attempting as a country to move towards the west. But we are still some distance away from that standard,” he said. Previous ways of thinking persisted, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added. Hope in Action Some buildings are falling apart because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons nested among its shattered windows; refuse lay under a fairytale tower. “Often we don’t win,” she conceded. “Restoration is therapy for us. We are striving to save all this history and beauty.” In the face of destruction and neglect, these citizens continue their work, one facade at a time, believing that to rebuild a city’s soul, you must first cherish its stones.