A visit to the Anne Frank House is both sobering and enlightening at the same time. The museum is a commemoration of one of the most well-known figures of the World War II holocaust. Walk into the room in which Anne Frank composed her diary, charting the daily challenges of adolescence, daily life and the lack of freedom while in hiding from the Nazi invaders. This work has been translated from Dutch into over 60 languages, making it the most translated Dutch book of all time.
Since 2010, visitors to the museum have been able to see all of Anne Frank’s original writings. The Diary Room houses the original red plaid covered diary, along with her “Favourite Quotes Notebook” and “Tales Book” full of stories she composed. These exhibits, along with photos of Anne’s family are found in the modern annexe to the house at Prinsengracht 263. A film with historical war images is shown to visitors to put Anne’s story into context, but this may be too upsetting to watch for some visitors.
The stairway to the attic where they lived until their discovery in 1944 is still hidden behind the original bookcase. Climb the stairs and you’ll find the space as it was during the war. Every effort has been made to recreate all the details, including the map which Anne’s father Otto used to track the advance of the Allied troops.
Tragically, Anne and her family were sent straight to concentration camps after their capture, and Otto was the only one to survive the war. Thanks to one of the brave people who help Anne and her family to hide, her original diary was saved from destruction. Otto made it his mission to publish the diary so that their experience would never be forgotten. Of the 107,000 Dutch Jews deported by the Nazi invaders, only 5%, or approximately 5,350, returned.
Travel to the Anne Frank House on Prinsengracht by tram, canal boat or bus, alighting at Westermarkt. Dam Square is only a 20 minute walk away. The museum is open every day. The queues for entry can be long, so it’s best to either arrive early or pre-book your tickets via the official website. Taking photographs is not permitted.
