Guédelon Castle and Château de Saint-Fargeau have become sanctuaries for 30
Tucked away in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of
Surrounding the stunning building is a forest filled with the sound of birdsong. There is little to disturb the tranquil scene apart from the occasional barking of a dog in the rustic distance.
For Kristi Viniar, a refugee from Kyiv, listening to nature's "magical" sounds at the "fairytale" castle is a welcome reprieve from her daily worries.
"We watch the news, cry, watch the news, cry," she told Insider. "But the atmosphere at Guédelon relaxes our souls."
It's poles apart from what her friends back home in Ukraine hear.
"Children are staying in underground shelters, little children hearing the awful sounds of bombing," she said.
Kristi and her husband, Max Viniar, ran a successful maritime agency in Kyiv.
They were returning from a vacation in Dubai with their daughters Emma, three, and Neya, one, on the morning of February 24 when their plane was suddenly diverted to Moldova. "We didn't know what was happening," Kristi said.
Hours later, they found out that Russian President Vladimir Putin had ordered the invasion of Ukraine and that bombs were falling on their beloved homeland.
With nothing but suitcases filled with t-shirts, shorts, and swimming costumes, Kristi and Max realized they could not return home anytime soon. Their life as they knew it was over.
"'Refugees' used to be just a word for us, and now we are refugees," Kristi said. "When you watch Afghanistan and Syria on TV, it's another world, but you never expect it to happen to you."
The Viniars moved between three countries in a week, relying on the generosity of strangers in Moldova, Romania, and France to house them.
During a short stay with an old friend in Paris, the family was connected with the staff at Guédelon Castle, who offered them a chance to take shelter there.
It's a real fairytale, it's historic, it's a really magical place.
"We didn't know what Guédelon was. We just thought it was a house that was empty," Kristi said. "But when we arrived, we were in admiration."
Kristi said they were awestruck when they realized they'd be living on the grounds of a castle. "It's a real fairytale. It's historic. It's a really magical place," she said. She joked that her daughter Emma felt as if she was a Disney princess.
But even more magical than their surroundings, Kristi explained, were the people who showed her family kindness during their two-week stay.
Guédelon's managing director Maryline Martin was part of the family's welcoming committee at the castle on March 6.
"When Max and Kristi arrived, they were completely lost," she told Insider. "They'd spent days going from airport to airport, and they were really in a state of shock."
The staff at the castle, who were gearing up for tourist season, took time out of their days to shower their guests with toys for the children, household essentials, and food.
Their stay at Guédelon gave them a moment of pause, Martin said, but it was clear that it could not be a long-term solution.
"It might be a fairytale, but you're stuck in the middle of a forest," she said. "Life here is not so fine. They need a car, job, school, friends. It's not possible."
So, using her contacts with the local prefecture, she helped them secure a home in Auxerre — a small town about 30 miles away. They still visit, but their farewell as residents of Guédelon was tear-filled.
"It was a difficult, very emotional goodbye," Martin said. "You sensed a need to hold onto us."
But while one family was leaving, several other Ukrainian refugees were welcomed at nearby Château de Saint-Fargeau — a 15-minute drive from Guédelon.
The Renaissance
Château de Saint-Fargeau was built in 1453. Since then, it has housed bishops, wealthy merchants, aristocracy, and French royalty. Now, it's a home for the refugees of Putin's war.
The wealthy Guyot family, who also helped found Guédelon, purchased it in 1977 and it has operated as a tourist attraction ever since.
Émilie Guyot, the daughter of the owner Michel Guyot, told Insider that it was a no-brainer to welcome refugees to stay at Château de Saint-Fargeau.
"Unlike the other exoduses that we've seen, whether from Syria or elsewhere, we've never had the situation where people were actually at the gates asking for help," she said. "There was no way we were going to turn them away."
The first people to arrive were the Sidlauskas family. Andrius Sidlauskas, who lives in the UK, was accompanied by his mother-in-law, niece, and nephew, who had fled from Ukraine.
Shortly after, they were joined by Yakiv Voloshchuk, his wife Oksana, and their 15-year-old daughter Veronika.
Both families stayed at the chateau while waiting for their family visas to the UK to come through.
It really does put your faith back into humanity.
They received a warm welcome to Saint-Fargeau. Their hosts had pulled out all of the stops to settle them in.
"When we got there, the fridge was fully-stocked, and my jaw dropped," Sidlauskas told Insider. "There were pizzas, croissants, baguettes, bottles of wine at our disposal."
The generosity, he said, was almost overwhelming. "It really does put your faith back into humanity," he said.
Voloshchuk told Insider that he was also filled with gratitude for the welcoming reception. "The French people were so good to us," he told Insider. "They put us up, gave us accommodation. Michel and Émilie Guyot are beautiful people."
Over the following days, the refugee families were kept busy with activities; horse riding, playing with farm animals, and singalongs.
New friendships formed, and families merged as the Ukrainian children became inseparable from Guyot's kids.
The Voloshchuks and Sidlauskas moved out, eventually receiving their visas to the UK, and other Ukrainian families immediately filled their spots.
In total, 30 people have stayed at the two
By all accounts, staying at Château de Saint-Fargeau is therapeutic and idyllic — a far cry from the situation the Ukrainians had just escaped.
But, the organizers of the scheme are keen to stress it's only a temporary solution.
"It's good and important to welcome people in an emergency situation, but very quickly, you need an alternative solution behind housing, schools, employment, medical cover," said Sarah Preston, an English woman who works as a press officer at Saint-Fargeau.
"The easy thing is saying come in, but it's making sure that everything is in place afterward," she continued.
Preston has spent weeks working tirelessly to make sure the guests are happy and set up for their new future.
She has played a vital role in finding Ukrainians needing a temporary home, reaching out to them through social media, talking to her connections, and reading articles online. Having found them a place to stay, she's gone through great efforts to prepare them for the next stage of the journey.
Preston has traveled with the refugees to Paris, two hours away, to interpret at visa appointments, helped families move into temporary accommodation nearby, and housed a family in her own home. She's the go-to for the refugee's daily problems, with several referring to her as their "angel."
Preston is humble and reluctant to take credit. When congratulated on her hard work, she quickly praises others for their support and teamwork.
For the Viniar family, there's only one way to show her thanks properly.
"In Ukraine, there are a lot of castles, too," Kristi said. "We hope the situation will be okay so we can invite her to visit."