🔗 Share this article Protecting Kyiv's Heritage: An Urban Center Reconstructing Itself Amidst the Onslaught of Conflict. Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her recently completed front door. Local helpers had affectionately dubbed its graceful transom window the “pastry”, a lighthearted tribute to its curved shape. “I think it’s more of a peafowl,” she commented, gazing at its branch-like details. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who commemorated the work with a couple of lively pavement parties. It was also an demonstration of resistance against a foreign power, she clarified: “We strive to live like normal people despite the war. It’s about organizing our life in the most positive way. We have no fear of living in our country. I could have left, starting anew to Italy. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance shows our commitment to our homeland.” “We are trying to live like normal people despite the war. It’s about arranging our life in the best possible way.” Preserving Kyiv’s architectural heritage seems unusual at a moment when missile strikes routinely fall the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, bombing campaigns have been dramatically stepped up. After each attack, workers board up blown-out windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to secure residential buildings. Among the Explosions, a Campaign for Identity Despite the violence, a group of activists has been attempting to conserve the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a playful style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the downtown Shevchenkivskyi district. It was built in 1906 and was initially the home of a affluent fur dealer. Its outer walls is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers. “These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon in the present day,” Danylenko noted. The residence was designed by a designer of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings nearby showcase comparable art nouveau characteristics, including a lack of symmetry – with a gothic tower on one side and a projection on the other. One popular house in the area features two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil. Dual Dangers to History But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who raze protected buildings, unethical officials and a administrative body unconcerned or resistant to the city’s profound architectural history. The harsh winter climate imposes another difficulty. “Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We don’t have substantive political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s leadership was closely associated with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov added that the concept for the capital comes straight out 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 championed older properties were now engaged in combat or had been fallen. The protracted 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 decline of our society and state bodies,” he remarked. Loss and Disregard 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. A day after the 2022 invasion, diggers demolished it. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new shopping and business centre, watched 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 destroyed old properties while claiming they were doing “archaeological research”, he said. A previous regime also caused immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could allow for military vehicles. Continuing the Work One of Kyiv’s most renowned defenders 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 crucial preservation work. There were originally 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s successful business magnates. Only 80 of their period doors survived, she said. “It was not aerial bombardments that got rid of them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now little will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique ivy-draped house built in 1910, which acts as the headquarters of her cultural organization and also serves as a film set and museum. The property has a new vermilion portal and period-correct railings; inside is a vintage sanitary facility and antique mirrors. “The war could continue for 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 “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not appreciate the past? “Regrettably they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are striving as a country to move towards the west. But we are still some distance away from that standard,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking remained, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added. Hope in Restoration Some buildings are crumbling because of official neglect. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons roosted among its shattered windows; rubbish lay under a whimsical tower. “Many times we are unsuccessful,” she admitted. “Restoration is therapy for us. We are striving to save all this past and splendour.” In the face of war and neglect, these activists continue their work, one building at a time, believing that to save a city’s heart, you must first protect its walls.
Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her recently completed front door. Local helpers had affectionately dubbed its graceful transom window the “pastry”, a lighthearted tribute to its curved shape. “I think it’s more of a peafowl,” she commented, gazing at its branch-like details. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who commemorated the work with a couple of lively pavement parties. It was also an demonstration of resistance against a foreign power, she clarified: “We strive to live like normal people despite the war. It’s about organizing our life in the most positive way. We have no fear of living in our country. I could have left, starting anew to Italy. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance shows our commitment to our homeland.” “We are trying to live like normal people despite the war. It’s about arranging our life in the best possible way.” Preserving Kyiv’s architectural heritage seems unusual at a moment when missile strikes routinely fall the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, bombing campaigns have been dramatically stepped up. After each attack, workers board up blown-out windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to secure residential buildings. Among the Explosions, a Campaign for Identity Despite the violence, a group of activists has been attempting to conserve the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a playful style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the downtown Shevchenkivskyi district. It was built in 1906 and was initially the home of a affluent fur dealer. Its outer walls is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers. “These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon in the present day,” Danylenko noted. The residence was designed by a designer of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings nearby showcase comparable art nouveau characteristics, including a lack of symmetry – with a gothic tower on one side and a projection on the other. One popular house in the area features two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil. Dual Dangers to History But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who raze protected buildings, unethical officials and a administrative body unconcerned or resistant to the city’s profound architectural history. The harsh winter climate imposes another difficulty. “Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We don’t have substantive political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s leadership was closely associated with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov added that the concept for the capital comes straight out 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 championed older properties were now engaged in combat or had been fallen. The protracted 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 decline of our society and state bodies,” he remarked. Loss and Disregard 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. A day after the 2022 invasion, diggers demolished it. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new shopping and business centre, watched 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 destroyed old properties while claiming they were doing “archaeological research”, he said. A previous regime also caused immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could allow for military vehicles. Continuing the Work One of Kyiv’s most renowned defenders 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 crucial preservation work. There were originally 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s successful business magnates. Only 80 of their period doors survived, she said. “It was not aerial bombardments that got rid of them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now little will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique ivy-draped house built in 1910, which acts as the headquarters of her cultural organization and also serves as a film set and museum. The property has a new vermilion portal and period-correct railings; inside is a vintage sanitary facility and antique mirrors. “The war could continue for 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 “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not appreciate the past? “Regrettably they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are striving as a country to move towards the west. But we are still some distance away from that standard,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking remained, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added. Hope in Restoration Some buildings are crumbling because of official neglect. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons roosted among its shattered windows; rubbish lay under a whimsical tower. “Many times we are unsuccessful,” she admitted. “Restoration is therapy for us. We are striving to save all this past and splendour.” In the face of war and neglect, these activists continue their work, one building at a time, believing that to save a city’s heart, you must first protect its walls.