🔗 Share this article Safeguarding Kyiv's Architectural Legacy: A City Rebuilding Its Foundations Under the Threat of Conflict. Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her recently completed front door. Volunteers had playfully nicknamed its graceful transom window the “pastry”, a lighthearted tribute to its arched shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a showy bird,” she stated, gazing at its branch-like features. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who marked the occasion with several impromptu pavement parties. It was also an expression of resistance against a foreign power, she explained: “We strive to live like everyday people in spite of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the best possible way. We have no fear of staying in our country. The possibility to emigrate existed, relocating to another European nation. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance shows our allegiance to our homeland.” “Our aim is to live like normal people regardless of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the best possible way.” Safeguarding Kyiv’s built legacy could be considered strange at a moment when aerial assaults routinely fall the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, aerial raids have been significantly intensified. After each attack, workers cover blown-out windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to save residential buildings. Among the Conflict, a Fight for History Despite the violence, a group of activists has been working to preserve the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a playful style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the historic Shevchenkivskyi district. It was built in 1906 and was originally the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its facade is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers. “These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce in the present day,” Danylenko stated. The building was designed by a designer of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings nearby showcase analogous art nouveau features, including an irregular shape – with a medieval spire on one side and a small tower on the other. One popular house in the area boasts two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil. Several Challenges to History But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who knock down historically significant buildings, dishonest officials and a political leadership indifferent or hostile to the city’s profound architectural history. The harsh winter climate adds another burden. “Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We are missing real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s mayor was friends with many of the developers who flatten important houses. Perov further alleged that the plan 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 public-spirited activists who once championed older properties were now engaged in combat or had been killed. The ongoing conflict meant that all citizens was facing monetary strain, he added, including judicial figures who inexplicably ruled in favour of dubious new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see degradation of our society and governing institutions,” he contended. Demolition and Abandonment One glaring demolition site is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had pledged to preserve its picturesque brick facade. A day after the 2022 invasion, heavy machinery razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new retail and office development, monitored by a unfriendly security guard. Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was not much hope for the remaining coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled old properties while stating they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A previous regime also caused immense damage on the capital, redesigning its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could allow for large-scale parades. Upholding the Legacy One of Kyiv’s most renowned advocates of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was fell in 2022 while fighting in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his crucial preservation work. There were initially 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s successful industrialists. Only 80 of their authentic doors remain, she said. “It wasn’t foreign rockets that destroyed them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could last another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now nothing will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique ivy-draped house built in 1910, which acts as the headquarters of her cultural organization and doubles as a film set and museum. The property has a new vermilion portal and authentic railings; inside is a historic washroom and antique mirrors. “The war could last another 20 years. If we fail to protect 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 citizens not value the past? “Sadly they are without education and taste. It’s all about business. We are striving as a country to move towards the west. But we are still a way off from that standard,” he said. Previous ways of thinking remained, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added. Resilience in Action Some buildings are crumbling because of institutional abandonment. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons made their home among its broken windows; rubbish lay under a storybook tower. “Many times we don’t win,” she conceded. “Restoration is therapy for us. We are trying to save all this history and splendour.” In the face of war and neglect, these volunteers continue their work, one building at a time, stating that to rebuild a city’s heart, you must first save its walls.
Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her recently completed front door. Volunteers had playfully nicknamed its graceful transom window the “pastry”, a lighthearted tribute to its arched shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a showy bird,” she stated, gazing at its branch-like features. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who marked the occasion with several impromptu pavement parties. It was also an expression of resistance against a foreign power, she explained: “We strive to live like everyday people in spite of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the best possible way. We have no fear of staying in our country. The possibility to emigrate existed, relocating to another European nation. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance shows our allegiance to our homeland.” “Our aim is to live like normal people regardless of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the best possible way.” Safeguarding Kyiv’s built legacy could be considered strange at a moment when aerial assaults routinely fall the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, aerial raids have been significantly intensified. After each attack, workers cover blown-out windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to save residential buildings. Among the Conflict, a Fight for History Despite the violence, a group of activists has been working to preserve the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a playful style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the historic Shevchenkivskyi district. It was built in 1906 and was originally the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its facade is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers. “These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce in the present day,” Danylenko stated. The building was designed by a designer of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings nearby showcase analogous art nouveau features, including an irregular shape – with a medieval spire on one side and a small tower on the other. One popular house in the area boasts two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil. Several Challenges to History But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who knock down historically significant buildings, dishonest officials and a political leadership indifferent or hostile to the city’s profound architectural history. The harsh winter climate adds another burden. “Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We are missing real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s mayor was friends with many of the developers who flatten important houses. Perov further alleged that the plan 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 public-spirited activists who once championed older properties were now engaged in combat or had been killed. The ongoing conflict meant that all citizens was facing monetary strain, he added, including judicial figures who inexplicably ruled in favour of dubious new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see degradation of our society and governing institutions,” he contended. Demolition and Abandonment One glaring demolition site is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had pledged to preserve its picturesque brick facade. A day after the 2022 invasion, heavy machinery razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new retail and office development, monitored by a unfriendly security guard. Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was not much hope for the remaining coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled old properties while stating they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A previous regime also caused immense damage on the capital, redesigning its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could allow for large-scale parades. Upholding the Legacy One of Kyiv’s most renowned advocates of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was fell in 2022 while fighting in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his crucial preservation work. There were initially 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s successful industrialists. Only 80 of their authentic doors remain, she said. “It wasn’t foreign rockets that destroyed them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could last another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now nothing will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique ivy-draped house built in 1910, which acts as the headquarters of her cultural organization and doubles as a film set and museum. The property has a new vermilion portal and authentic railings; inside is a historic washroom and antique mirrors. “The war could last another 20 years. If we fail to protect 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 citizens not value the past? “Sadly they are without education and taste. It’s all about business. We are striving as a country to move towards the west. But we are still a way off from that standard,” he said. Previous ways of thinking remained, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added. Resilience in Action Some buildings are crumbling because of institutional abandonment. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons made their home among its broken windows; rubbish lay under a storybook tower. “Many times we don’t win,” she conceded. “Restoration is therapy for us. We are trying to save all this history and splendour.” In the face of war and neglect, these volunteers continue their work, one building at a time, stating that to rebuild a city’s heart, you must first save its walls.