🔗 Share this article Protecting the Capital's Architectural Legacy: An Urban Center Rebuilding Its Foundations Under the Threat of Conflict. Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her freshly fitted front door. The restoration team had given the moniker its graceful transom window the “croissant”, a whimsical nod to its bowed shape. “I think it’s more of a peafowl,” she remarked, admiring its tree limb-inspired features. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who marked the occasion with two lively pavement parties. It was also an act of defiance in the face of a foreign power, she explained: “We are trying to live like normal people regardless of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the optimal way. We have no fear of staying in our homeland. The possibility to emigrate existed, moving away to another European nation. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our dedication to our homeland.” “We strive to live like ordinary people despite the war. It’s about organizing our life in the most positive way.” Safeguarding Kyiv’s historic buildings seems strange at a period when missile strikes regularly target the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, bombing campaigns have been dramatically stepped up. After each attack, workers seal broken windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to secure residential buildings. Amid the Conflict, a Campaign for History Despite the violence, a group of activists has been working to preserve the city’s crumbling mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the central Shevchenkivskyi district. It was built in 1906 and was initially the home of a affluent fur dealer. Its facade is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers. “These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon in the present day,” Danylenko said. The building was designed by a designer of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings nearby exhibit comparable art nouveau characteristics, including a lack of symmetry – with a gothic tower on one side and a turret on the other. One popular house in the area boasts two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil. Dual Dangers to Legacy But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who raze historically significant buildings, dishonest officials and a administrative body unconcerned or opposed to the city’s profound architectural history. The severe winter climate adds another challenge. “Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We lack genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He alleged the city’s mayor was friends with many of the developers who flatten important houses. Perov stated that the plan for the capital is reminiscent of a different time. The mayor rejects these claims, saying they originate from political rivals. Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once protected older properties were now engaged in combat or had been fallen. The lengthy conflict meant that the entire society was facing financial problems, he added, including those in the legal system who mysteriously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see decline of our society and governing institutions,” he argued. Demolition and Abandonment One notorious demolition site is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had agreed to preserve its attractive brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the onset of major hostilities, diggers tore it down. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new shopping and business centre, watched by a stern security guard. Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was not much hope for the remaining turquoise-painted houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled old properties while asserting they were doing “archaeological research”, he said. A 20th-century empire also wrought immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its central boulevard after the second world war so it could allow for large-scale parades. Carrying the Torch One of Kyiv’s most renowned defenders of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was lost his life in 2022 while fighting in the frontline. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his vital preservation work. There were originally 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s wealthy entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their original doors remain, she said. “It wasn’t aerial bombardments that destroyed them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now little will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a full of character ivy-draped 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 original-style railings; inside is a period bathroom and antique mirrors. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now not a thing will be left.” The building’s tenant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not appreciate the past? “Regrettably they do not have education and taste. It’s all about business. We are trying 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 tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons nested among its shattered windows; refuse lay under a storybook tower. “Often we are unsuccessful,” she acknowledged. “Preservation work is a form of healing for us. We are striving to save all this history and splendour.” In the face of destruction and neglect, these volunteers continue their work, one facade at a time, believing that to preserve a city’s heart, you must first protect its walls.
Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her freshly fitted front door. The restoration team had given the moniker its graceful transom window the “croissant”, a whimsical nod to its bowed shape. “I think it’s more of a peafowl,” she remarked, admiring its tree limb-inspired features. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who marked the occasion with two lively pavement parties. It was also an act of defiance in the face of a foreign power, she explained: “We are trying to live like normal people regardless of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the optimal way. We have no fear of staying in our homeland. The possibility to emigrate existed, moving away to another European nation. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our dedication to our homeland.” “We strive to live like ordinary people despite the war. It’s about organizing our life in the most positive way.” Safeguarding Kyiv’s historic buildings seems strange at a period when missile strikes regularly target the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, bombing campaigns have been dramatically stepped up. After each attack, workers seal broken windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to secure residential buildings. Amid the Conflict, a Campaign for History Despite the violence, a group of activists has been working to preserve the city’s crumbling mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the central Shevchenkivskyi district. It was built in 1906 and was initially the home of a affluent fur dealer. Its facade is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers. “These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon in the present day,” Danylenko said. The building was designed by a designer of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings nearby exhibit comparable art nouveau characteristics, including a lack of symmetry – with a gothic tower on one side and a turret on the other. One popular house in the area boasts two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil. Dual Dangers to Legacy But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who raze historically significant buildings, dishonest officials and a administrative body unconcerned or opposed to the city’s profound architectural history. The severe winter climate adds another challenge. “Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We lack genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He alleged the city’s mayor was friends with many of the developers who flatten important houses. Perov stated that the plan for the capital is reminiscent of a different time. The mayor rejects these claims, saying they originate from political rivals. Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once protected older properties were now engaged in combat or had been fallen. The lengthy conflict meant that the entire society was facing financial problems, he added, including those in the legal system who mysteriously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see decline of our society and governing institutions,” he argued. Demolition and Abandonment One notorious demolition site is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had agreed to preserve its attractive brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the onset of major hostilities, diggers tore it down. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new shopping and business centre, watched by a stern security guard. Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was not much hope for the remaining turquoise-painted houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled old properties while asserting they were doing “archaeological research”, he said. A 20th-century empire also wrought immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its central boulevard after the second world war so it could allow for large-scale parades. Carrying the Torch One of Kyiv’s most renowned defenders of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was lost his life in 2022 while fighting in the frontline. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his vital preservation work. There were originally 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s wealthy entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their original doors remain, she said. “It wasn’t aerial bombardments that destroyed them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now little will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a full of character ivy-draped 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 original-style railings; inside is a period bathroom and antique mirrors. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now not a thing will be left.” The building’s tenant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not appreciate the past? “Regrettably they do not have education and taste. It’s all about business. We are trying 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 tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons nested among its shattered windows; refuse lay under a storybook tower. “Often we are unsuccessful,” she acknowledged. “Preservation work is a form of healing for us. We are striving to save all this history and splendour.” In the face of destruction and neglect, these volunteers continue their work, one facade at a time, believing that to preserve a city’s heart, you must first protect its walls.