Not Russian, but Pan-European: Chernihiv Volunteer Restores Unique Wooden Houses

Chernihiv is an ancient city in Ukraine, 100 miles north of Kyiv. Located among forests, it has traditions that make it unique among other Ukrainian areas. It is known especially for its special wooden architecture – much like in Denmark, Sweden, Lithuania and the northern states of the US – where building with wood and decorating houses with wooden patterns is popular.

In the spring of 2022, as Russia advanced on Chernihiv, it tried to claim this heritage for itself, calling Chernihiv "Russian" because wooden construction is a common feature in Russia. Unfortunately, Chernihiv’s old wooden architecture – including apartment buildings, villas, and administrative buildings – has been falling into disrepair. Modern owners of these homes often don't appreciate the heritage aspects and frequently reconstruct buildings or insulate them with cheap or inappropriate materials.

However, the city boasts a group of volunteers known as "Wooden Lace of Chernihiv", which, with donations from caring people or with the help of homeowners, restores the unique carved beauty of the city's old houses – all for free – thus helping to return Chernihiv to its tourist charm.

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The leader of the project, Stanislav Ivashchenko, shared the subtleties of working with the city's historical heritage with Kyiv Post.

Why did you decide to take on this project?

I noticed that [over time] fewer and fewer historic houses were retaining their original form. As an adult, I felt sad that the city I grew up in was disappearing. I decided to create an online museum, assembled a team, and we saved the houses in virtual form. Then, I came up with the idea to renovate them.

Russia claims the local style as its own, in an attempt to further justify its aggression against Ukraine. You've traveled a lot; what do you say?

If I said this has nothing to do with Russia, it wouldn’t be true, but it is accurate to say that this is a shared tradition in all countries where wood is used for construction – Ukraine, Russia, Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia. Wherever wooden houses were built, they were decorated accordingly. Russia cannot claim what is a common cultural tradition.

What would you say causes the most damage to old houses in the city?

The biggest problem is when people buy these houses but don’t see their value. They start covering them with foam, plastic, and the cheapest materials. However, you can improve the energy efficiency of a house without destroying its historical facade. You can first insulate the house along a wooden wall and then return the wooden decorative paneling to its place, keeping it both beautiful and warm. The cost of such renovations is around $1,500–2,000. Unfortunately, people are doing more damage to historic Chernihiv than Russian bombs.

How can you save the houses in this case?

The problem is that nothing can be done if the house is not an architectural or cultural monument. It’s private property – people can do what they want. It’s even more ridiculous where a house was divided during Soviet times, so each owner renovates their part differently, not even talking to their neighbors. Half the house can be one color, the other half another. Imagine people living in the same house unable to agree on what color it should be. It’s both absurd and amusing.

How many houses have you restored?

We’ve already restored more than 10 houses. Some are fully finished, while others are still in progress. We usually meet the owners during excursions and walks. At first, we approached homeowners, but now things have changed – some owners want to preserve their houses. In one case, the owners worked alongside us and got just as dirty as we did, but they were thrilled that they would preserve the historical appearance of their house.

What can the authorities do to improve the situation? What’s the solution?

It's very difficult. Buying houses so the city can own them and rent them out, with rules preventing facade changes, would be a good start, but Chernihiv doesn’t have the money for this. And there’s no political will either. Officials are passive, especially during the war, and even before the war, things weren’t great. The relevant departments of local authorities and regional state administrations need to start monitoring at least the architectural monuments that are falling into disrepair. There are many of those too.