What about the traditional Christmas Kolęda (Carol) in the year of the pandemic?
More dioceses in different parts of the country are announcing that this year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the rules of caroling will change and they are canceling pastoral visits at the traditional date, i.e. at the turn of the year. Such a decision was announced those days by Bishop Roman Pindel, the ordinary of the Bielsko-Żywiec diocese. Will there be no carols 2020 in Krakow?
Christmas carol and the coronavirus. What will the pastoral visit be like?
Due to the epidemic situation in Poland in the Bielsko-Żywiec Diocese, we are not organizing pastoral visits to families in the traditional period this year 2020/2021 – Bishop Roman Pindel, Bishop of Bielsko-Żywiec wrote on Twitter. The announcement posted on the website of this diocese informs that the pastoral visit is postponed “until sanitary conditions allow. This time will be announced by the Department of General Pastoral Care” – added.
“Instead of visiting homes by pastors, the residents should be invited to church in smaller groups”
In mid-October, the decision was announced that this time there would be no traditional Christmas carol visit to the Archdiocese of Poznań.“Instead of visits by priests in their homes, the residents should be invited to church in smaller groups for the evening Mass. A special intention of this Mass should be a prayer for the parishioners invited on a given day” – wrote Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki, Metropolitan of Poznań in his decree.
Recommendations for Holy Mass
In the decree of the Metropolitan of Poznań regarding the pastoral care during the pandemic, there were also recommendations regarding this holy mass, which this time will replace the priest’s visits to the homes of parishioners:
During the Holy Mass one should give a special homily and pray a prayer of blessing over the gathered and remaining residents, especially the sick, as well as bless the water that the faithful will take home.
After the liturgy, there should be caroling and a talk, also discussing current parish issues. It is also advisable to distribute prayers to be said at home and a caroling book.
It is worth encouraging the faithful to return home to celebrate the “family liturgy”, saying a prayer, the text of which they received in the temple, and sprinkling the apartment with holy water.
A blessing only for new houses and flats – this is what the pastoral visits to the Archdiocese of Katowice should look like this year. In addition, there are plans to celebrate Holy Mass during Advent and Christmas in the local parishes for parishioners from particular streets. The decision on Christmas carols in the Katowice Archdiocese was made at the end of September.
What about a Christmas carol in Krakow? The decision has not yet been made
As for the Krakow Archdiocese, the decision on the first pastoral visit during the pandemic has not yet been made. But we should meet her soon.
“This issue is being considered, we are considering and at the end of November some information should appear on this matter” – the spokesman of the Krakow curia, Fr. Łukasz Michalczewski.
From Gazeta Krakowska (article in PL Language) – November 16th, 2020.
I wanted to visit this museum for a long while… I got to step inside it for the first time on the 27th of September, 2020.
What was the occasion? The Podgorze Open Days 2020 💓
How did I get to visit it? There was a free tour of the museum, announced. The tour was in the English language – run by Pawel M. from #goodeventswithpawel (not my first tour with Pawel, and I highly recommend it👌).
How long did it take? The museum tour took about 1 hour. Sometimes I wish we had a bit more time to spare and look around, but if you will visit it on your own, make sure to book yourself a bit more time.
About the Muzeum Podgorza
Opened in May 2018, this museum chronologically traces the history and legends of the fascinating Podgórze district. It starts thoroughly from the time of Krakus Mound and runs through its time as an independent city in Austrian Galicia. Doesn’t stop at the integration into greater Kraków, or the tragedy of WWII, but brings you all the way up to the present day.
With historical artifacts, documents and photography, there are also multimedia displays and a free audio guide (in English and Polish). The audio guide augments the exhibits and there is also a photography exhibit upstairs. The kids will enjoy the educational room for them, located in the basement.
#DidYouKnow
Though well off the tourist trail, the location is actually significant. It was at this former Austrian barracks building in 1918 that Polish officers in the Austrian Army organized a bloodless rebellion and ‘liberated’ Podgórze, then Kraków, from Austrian occupation, thus making Podgórze the first place in Poland to regain independence after WWI. That story and more are inside, so let me tell you a bit more about it!
My experience with Muzeum Podgorza
The Museum tour run by Pawel M. from #goodeventswithpawel was done through the eyes of a local, a man in love with the history of the place he lives in (and he actually lives in Podgorze district!). He had the patience and answered our questions, yet stuck to the 1 hour promised tour, which was filled with plenty of information to enrich everyone.
A Celtic Mound in Krakow
The exhibition starts from the Mound of Krakow (one of Krakow’s 4 man-made mounds). We find out that probably the Mound of Krakow (Krakus Mound) and the Wanda Mound are probably Celtic, not slavic – as the locals would like it to be 😉 We also find out that the oldest monastery in Poland is the St. Benedict’s Church, located near the Krakus mound.
How can we tell that it was done by the Celts? Well… one of the great celebrations done on the Krakus Mound is Beltane (or Beltain – the Gaelic May Day festival). Most commonly it is held on 1 May, or about halfway between the spring equinox and summer solstice. Historically, it was widely observed throughout Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man. We, of course, celebrate it in Poland as well, in Krakow. Coincidence? I think not!
The Royal Free City of Podgórze
One of the most important things to trade-in, in Medieval Times, was salt. People back then did not have refrigerators, the only thing that would stop products from spoiling was salt – and the salt mines around Krakow always had plenty of that!
The transport of salt during the Medieval Ages was done by water – via the Vistula River. In the 18th century, in 1784, the city was granted the city status, as the Royal Free City of Podgórze. It was established/founded by the Austrian-Hungary Emperor Joseph the 2nd – the border with Austria being located on the Vistula River!
#DidYouKnow
You might not know this, but…
1. The wonderful bridge that connects Kazimierz to Podgorze, the Kładka Ojca Bernatka was called before the Franz Joseph Bridge.
2. There was a large colonization movement – giving Podgorze the name of “Small America”. Podgorze was more liberal, where Krakow was more bourgeois. Pogorgze was Austrian, though a free city! And was granted city rights, with very attractive tax privileges. This attracted entrepreneurs, merchants, and craftsmen from the Austrian Empire.
Jews and workarounds
The exhibition in Muzeum Podgorza has special displays also on the life of Jews in Podgorze, but does not focus on the Holocaust events as much as one would think. Muzeum Podgorza is a museum of the City of Podgorze, of the district that was annexed to Krakow, not a museum about World War II.
With Pawel, from #goodeventswithpawel I’ve found out many interesting facts about the life of Jewish people in the Royal City of Podgorze. For example, I learned that steps inside their homes do not count for Jews when they have Shabbat. Love of God, time with family, reconnecting with friends and with oneself – all these fulfill the commandment to “remember” Shabbat. So working during it is a total NO!
However, the workaround was that steps done inside one’s home would not count. The houses are always walled against walls, and they would tie them with a rope, making them be considered as one house. So if you would like to go buy some bread from the neighbor, 2-3 houses away, you could do that by going from one house to another. At it would not be considered as leaving your house and breaking the Shabbat.
Podgorze district has light before Krakow!
The first discussions of the merger between the City of Krakow and the City of Podgorze took place at the beginning of the 20th century.
A joint “Agreement concerning the merger of the Royal Free Town of Podgórze with the Royal Capital of Kraków” was drawn up and signed on 7 June 1913. The merger took place on 1 July 1915. A few days later, on 4 July 1915, on Krakus Bridge, the last mayor of Podgórze, Franciszek Maryewski, and the mayor of Kraków, Juliusz Leo, shook hands, symbolically merging the two towns.
But at the time, Podgorze was much more advanced in terms of setup than Krakow. Podgorze even had electricity before Krakow – 5 years before them!!! They had their own power plant (The Municipal Power Plant in Podgórze) that was established in 1899-1900 at 4 Nadwiślańska Street.
Muzeum Podgorza is a museum about the district, done by the district
Throughout the Muzeum Podgorza you can feel that the museum is one-of-a-kind. It is one of Krakow’s Hidden Gems, and – though it may not resonate much with most tourists – it is a work of beauty and love. It shows the love of the locals for their home-place, their love for history, and their passion for making sure none of this gets forgotten.
How to visit Muzeum Podgorza
Unfortunately, now all museums are closed, due to Coronavirus. But once this madness clears up, I suggest you check their website and visit it!
There is the special “Discover Podgorze!” (PL: “Odkryj Podgorze”) route that offers the combined ticket of 3 museums at a lower price. The 3 branches included are Museum of Podgorze + The Eagle Pharmacy + Oskar Schindler’s Enamelware Factory. Once the ticket is bought, the museums can be visited within 3 days of their purchase! The ticket is available at the ticket office of each of the above-mentioned branches and the Visitor Service Center.
NOTE!!! Children up to 7 years old – free admission!
On Wednesday, November 4, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced further restrictions in connection with the coronavirus pandemic (including limiting trade in galleries and closing schools).
At the same time, he also presented that a complete lockdown may occur in Poland. And this one is very close. So what should you be prepared for? What can await us during the national quarantine?
When will national quarantine be necessary?
According to Prime Minister Morawiecki, the decision to introduce a lockdown may be made even within the next ten days. When will national quarantine be necessary? The prime minister explained during the press conference:
If the epidemic affects more than 70-75 people per 100,000 inhabitants, we will have to implement national quarantine rules, including no movement.
Prime Minister Morawiecki
“National Quarantine” – what does it mean?
The introduction of a national quarantine will impose restrictions on further industries and restrictions on movement.
If the epidemic affects more than 50 cases per 100,000 residents for 7 days nationwide, “we are turning on this severe safety brake.” If it is in the 70-75 range, the rules of the national quarantine will be implemented, i.e. also restrictions in movement. However, if the number of cases is smaller, more than 25 but less than 50 per 100,000 for 7 days nationwide, it is possible to return to the rules of red zones. If greater than 10 and less than 25, it will return to the yellow zones.
Prime Minister Morawiecki
Second lockdown knocking at our doors…
According to Onet’s estimates, such a threshold will be reached after exceeding 30,000 cases a day. At the moment, the number of infected people is increasing at a rate of 20-25 thousand daily.
When it comes to Małopolska, Gazeta Krakowska calculations show that the indicator mentioned by Prime Minister Morawiecki for the region is already 68. Therefore, our voivodeship is close to the border mentioned by the rulers.
What are we to expect?
Ban on movements
After introducing a national quarantine, the government may announce a ban on movement without a valid reason (so it could be allowed to leave the place of residence only in special cases, e.g. to do grocery shopping or see a doctor).
Special documents to go outside
In some countries, people outside their homes must have special documents to justify their movement in public spaces. Similar rules could be introduced in Poland.
Re-closing borders
The re-closure of borders is also a realistic scenario, as was the case in spring during the first coronavirus wave.
Temporary border controls were introduced in March when there were relatively few infections. Poles returning to Poland had to undergo a 14-day home quarantine. Only cross-border workers and road transport drivers were exempted.
Curfew
In some countries – due to the growing number of infections – a curfew has been introduced (e.g. in France – a ban on leaving houses and apartments from 21:00 to 6:00).
For a curfew to be introduced in Poland, a state of emergency must first be introduced. This, in turn, is introduced at the request of the Council of Ministers. However, such a solution cannot be completely ruled out.
Ban on forest entering
The ban on entering forests, which aroused a lot of emotions a few months ago, may be introduced again.
No more open beauty salons!
Of course, a national quarantine and full lockdown would mean closing down, among others, hairdressing and beauty salons that may still be in operation today.
Flight bans
Of course, the real scenario is to close the airports and introduce a flight ban.
Kindergartens and Schools
From Monday (9th November 2020), students of the youngest primary school grades (I, II, and III) have started remote learning. However, kindergartens are still operating. However, they would most likely be closed if a national quarantine was introduced.
This scenario is not very realistic, but it cannot be ruled out. The number of people allowed to attend mass has already been reduced. Will the churches be completely closed, however, like cemeteries?
Ban on large gatherings
It looks like the ban on gathering may also be extended. Currently, more than 5 people are forbidden to meet up (e.g. business meetings in companies).
Cover your nose and mouth!
The obligation to cover the mouth and nose may also apply, inter alia, in parks and forests.
I don’t know about you you, but I am definitely NOT looking forward to that 🙁 Stay safe!
New Year’s Eve in Krakow 2020/2021. Instead of the New Year’s Eve concert on the Main Square, we will say goodbye to 2020 … with audiovisual installations – Reads the Gazeta Krakowska news from 9/11/20
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, on December 31, 2020, there will be no New Year’s Eve concert at the Main Square in Krakow. The city authorities do not want to expose their inhabitants to contracting the disease. However, they decided to say goodbye to the old year in an artistic spirit – and organize a competition for New Year’s audiovisual installations that will decorate Krakow at that time.
A NEW New Year’s Eve in Krakow
No group celebration, no singing together, and no countdown to midnight.
It will be a New Year’s Eve full of art.
The Krakow Festival Office encourages all Krakow artists to take part in the competition for a review of audiovisual installations.
Competition entries can be submitted by November 15th.
The 10 best ideas will be presented on the last night of the old year in Krakow squares.
New Year’s Eve 2020 in Krakow with a walk of audiovisual installations
This year, safety is even more important to us than before. That is why we gave up on musical scenes and grand celebrations. Instead, we invite you to take a walk along the traces of art installations that will be located in different parts of the city. For now, we are not revealing the details of the entire evening and the great surprise that we are preparing on the Main Square, but we invite the entire artistic world of Krakow to prepare for this special night together!
– encourages Jacek Majchrowski, Mayor of Krakow.
According to the jury’s decision, each of the 10 winners will receive 10,000 PLN for the implementation of their idea. The aim of the competition enriching Krakow’s public space on New Year’s Eve is to promote visual arts as a field of culture and support local artists. It is also supposed to help popularize the visual arts by organizing an event of this kind, aimed at a mass audience.
New Year’s Eve in Krakow 2020 supporting local artists
We encourage you to participate in the competition “New Year, new art, new media – a review of audiovisual installations by Krakow artists”. This is an opportunity to show your work and make it a symbolic gesture of saying goodbye to the old year or welcoming the new one. In this way, we want to support local audiovisual artists and present their works to a larger audience
– adds Izabela Błaszczyk, director of the KBF.
The competition regulations can be found on the website www.kbf.krakow.pl. The most important information is the address to which applications can be submitted until November 15, 2020 ( HERE ) and the dimensions of the structure, which cannot be higher than five by five meters. One person or company can submit up to three designs in separate entries.
The winners and all details about New Year’s Eve 2020 will be presented by the Krakow Festival Office at the end of November.
Members of the mission of the Council of Europe make an alarm in the report from Poland about violations of minority rights. “We see the negative impact of the current situation in Poland on the lives of members of this community,” warn representatives of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities in Europe.
From Monday, the delegation of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities in Europe collected information about the situation of sexual minorities in Poland via videoconferences. Members of the mission spoke with activists of non-governmental organizations, local government representatives, the Ombudsman, but also with representatives of the family ministry.
The Council of Europe’s mission report indicated that “local governments play a key role in ensuring citizens’ rights as well as promoting dialogue and understanding”. The preliminary report on the work of the delegation indicated the resolutions adopted by councilors on LGBT issues.
LGBT rights in Poland. Council of Europe alert
The full report on the work of the delegation is to be ready early next year. As RMF FM explains, the Council of Europe dealt with the violation of the rights of the LGBT community at the request of MP Hanna Gill-Piątek and MP Krzysztof Śmiszek from the Left.
The legally non-binding resolutions of Polish local governments on LGBT issues were also criticized by some MEPs during the European Parliament debate on the situation in Poland, the station reminds.
In July, the European Commission decided to withdraw the decision to grant subsidies to municipalities that had adopted controversial documents. Helena Dalli, the European Commissioner for Equality, spoke about “LGBT-free zones” in Poland.
New restrictions. Changes in the Churches. There is a new limit of the faithful
On Wednesday, the government announced the introduction of new restrictions. The changes concern, among others the limit of the faithful in churches during holy masses and other liturgical celebrations.
New restrictions. New guidelines in Churches
During the press conference on Wednesday, November 4, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced that the regulation introducing new restrictions across the country would enter into force. The changes also concern the activities of churches. Due to the spreading coronavirus pandemic, a new limit of the faithful attending masses and liturgical celebrations has been introduced.
The Chancellery of the Prime Minister informed that one person per 15 square meters will be allowed in the churches. This is a new, stricter limit to reduce the risk of contracting coronavirus. This means that even fewer believers will be able to take part in the masses than today. The prime minister also appealed to the oldest people to stay at home.
Broadcasting of Holy Masses on TV
“If a religious event takes place in a church, there is an obligation to cover the mouth and nose, with the exception of people worshiping” – we read on the gov.pl website. The new restrictions are to protect Poland from a complete lockdown. National quarantine is a last resort, but “only one step away” from it. “We want to protect the health service, we want to protect medics so that they can continue to heal people” – Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said during the Wednesday press conference.
Broadcasts of the Holy Masses will be available on TV on Sunday. You will be able to watch them, among others, on TVP1, TV Trwam or TVP Polonia.
The government decided to introduce new restrictions. They concern the operation of shopping malls. Most stores will close.
Shopping malls have new restrictions!
The government has once again tightened regulations to help fight the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. As previously announced, the changes concern, inter alia, trade-in shopping malls. During Wednesday’s press conference, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced new restrictions on the operation of shopping malls.
“We have an extremely difficult time ahead. The pandemic is getting worse, our responses must be firm”, said Prime Minister Morawiecki. As the Prime Minister said, if the number of infections exceeds 70-75 thousand, infected per 100 thousand residents, the next step will be a national quarantine.
According to the government’s decision, from Saturday, November 7, shops in shopping malls will be closed. The galleries themselves will be open, but we will only shop there in a few stores. There are a few exceptions in the regulation where you will be able to make purchases when shopping centers are closed.
What remains open in the shopping centers?
As the Chancellery of the Prime Minister informed on social media, the following stores remain open:
with food,
with cosmetics, toilet and cleaning products,
with medical and pharmaceutical products,
with renovation and construction articles,
with supplies for animals,
with the press,
services.
The restrictions apply at least until November 29. Changes also occur in the case of the activities of other retail outlets. In shops up to 100 m2 – 1 person per 10 m2, and in shops over 100 m2 – 1 person per 15 m2.
The owners of Pergamin Old Town Apartments, located in the center of Krakow at ul. St. Gertrude, announced an unusual action. Rooms in this luxurious facility will be made available for only 1 PLN per day to the homeless people.
“Due to the impossibility of hotel operations due to the pandemic, having free rooms, we announce a charity campaign:” Roof over your head for PLN 1 “. The campaign will consist of the fact that in the period until November 15, 2020, we will accept applications from people interested in staying in the winter period from December 2020 to March 2021 at our facility at ul. St. Gertrudy 10 in Krakow, however, it is addressed only to the homeless and needy, however, we reserve that we will verify the above and reserve the right to freely choose the people to whom the rooms will be made available, as well as the right to cancel the action at any time. Rooms will be made available for PLN 1 per month. The condition will also be appropriate behavior in the facility – weekly verification, people who do not comply with the regulations will lose the right to stay “
“If you know such people, please send us information along with consent to the processing of personal data in order to implement the campaign and documents that will enable us to verify. We will inform you about whom we have chosen by 20/11/2020. We must help each other in these difficult times and we want to have places available help those who need it the most! Share? Do you have any people in need? Give, give “- add the initiators of the campaign in the entry that appeared on the Facebook profile of Premium Hotels Pergamin.
Protests against the ruling of the Constitutional Tribunal on abortion continue. Women also took to the streets on November 1 – All Saints’ Day. However, the police emphasise that no serious incidents have occurred. For a moment it was restless on October 30th in the Main Square, where someone fired two flares. Uniforms suspect that hooligans are behind it.
Women’s protests against the Constitutional Tribunal’s ruling on tightening abortion regulations have continued. Demonstrations were even held on All Saints’ Day.
On November 1 in the afternoon at Collegium Novum at ul. Gołębia, the Krakow Student Strike began. As emphasized by the participants of the demonstration, the protest is also directed against attempts to limit the freedom of universities, undertaken in their opinion by the minister of higher education, Przemysław Czarnek.
Police emphasize that it was quiet during the protests in Małopolska over the weekend. “No serious incidents have been reported” – emphasizes the young inspector. Sebastian Gleń, press spokesman of the Provincial Police Headquarters in Kraków.
The incident happened on Friday, October 30. After one of the gatherings in the Main Market Square ended, someone fired two flares. The policemen suspect that hooligans did it.
I’ve said this before, but Krakow is a magical city that can be visited at any time in the year. You will always find events to join, museums to visit, cafe’s/bars/restaurants to test. So without any further ado, let me tell you 5 Things You Should Know About Krakow:
1. Poland’s currency is not Euro, it’s zloty!
Even though Poland is part of the EU they keep their own currency strong. Zloty (with the small denomination of groszy) can be used to buy products in Poland. Or you can just use a credit card. If you are looking for exchange houses, they are named Kantor. I suggest you don’t go to Market Square to find one as they will have bad rates. The one in the Galeria Krakowska, top floor, though is always decent. They also speak English there. Unlike in Romania, you will not be asked to present an ID/passport to change the money.
2. Public transport (or walking) is the way to go!
Everything important is within walking distance. It would be a shame not to walk down the cobbled stone paths and enjoy the local vibes. Public transport is highly developed and highly recommended – especially the trams! The tickets can be bought according to the time spent in transit. You need also to pay attention to the zone in which you are going (strefa I and II or I +II). For example, if you take a bus to Wieliczka Salt Mine from the station next to Galeria Krakowska, you would have to buy a strefa I+II ticket valid for 60 min (a 40 min one might not be enough).
3. Polish breakfasts are a must!
There are so many nice places in the Old Town or Kazimierz or Podgorze region. Places where you can have a nice and quiet breakfast. You just need to pick and choose. From the English breakfast that everyone praises at Milkbar Tomasza, to the French option in Charlotte (plac Szczepanski). From the typical polish breakfast with bread & butter + jam or ham or cheese or tomatoes or pickles… to all at the same time!
4. Krakow Free Walking Tour
If you really wanna get under Krakow’s skin, I really recommend you take a tour with a local. Or someone who lived in Krakow for a long while and loves this magical city. All you need to do is follow the yellow umbrellas of the Free Walking Tour Krakow team. I absolutely love them! They put so much passion and knowledge and fun in what they are doing. They are contagious and even after one tour with them, you will love them! #FreeWalkingTourKrakow offers the best walking tours in town, so check out their offer:
FreeWalkingTourKrakow – StreetArt – FreeWalkingTourKrakow provides city tours in Polish, English & Spanish.You can find them on Facebook or on their website or you can just call them at +48 513 875 814. I joined them in a StreetArt Tour and it was amazing!
FreeWalkingTourKrakow – Macabre Krakow – stories about ghost and real vampires… Methods of torture, bodies under the Main Market Square with their hands and legs tied, stories of impaling living people… dark and twisted and perfect for a rainy Saturday evening 🙂
FreeWalkingTourKrakow – Her Story – there is a saying that if the men are considered to be the head of the family than the heart belongs to the woman.
FreeWalkingTourKrakow – Pagan Krakow – do you wish to know about the old beliefs of Polish people but also about interesting facts like: “Did you know that General Hans Frank along with other members of the Nazi party celebrated the Yule holiday when they were living inside the Wawel Castle?” – join this tour once you see it up and running 😉 (Beginning of March)
FreeWalkingTourKrakow – Foods Of Krakow – traditional foods and drinks from Krakow. Lasts around 2 to 3 hours and takes one around Old Town and Kazimierz (a lovely Sunday afternoon in August 2015)
FreeWalkingTourKrakow – Centre of the World – learn why Krakow can compete with other grand(er) cities, for being the possible center of the world (28th of November 2015 – around 2 hours (and a bit))
5. Authentic homemade food at any bar mleczny
The bar mleczny is a reminiscence of the communist times. They are basically places where local food is cooked in large amounts, that can be bought at a really low price. It’s a “push the tray” environment, very unpretentious. They are still somehow funded by the state and can be found in every city in Poland. You will hear the local radio playing, sit with a stranger on the same table, sharing salt and pepper… And at the end taking your tray back to the special racks – no service, no waiter, no fuss. Don’t you dare miss out on the traditional pierogi – be it fried or boiled – or some homemade serniczek (cheesecake).
Yours very much truly,
The Twisted Red Ladybug That Loves Krakow
*** This article was first published on my old blog, back on 5th March 2018 – this one here is slightly updated 😉 ***
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