A visit to Anne Frank House museum takes you through the history of a Jewish girl who hid in a secret annex located at Prinsengracht 263 in Amsterdam. Anne Frank remained in hiding in the annex together with other seven persons. It is in Anne Frank House where she wrote her famous diary. Anne lived here with her family for over two years. When you visit Anne Frank House, you will see an exhibition about Jews persecution and discrimination during the World War II.
Fearing being caught by Nazis during Second World War, Anne, her family comprising father, mother and sister; and four other people in the hidden rooms of the 17th century canal house, which came to be known as Secret Annex. Though Anne and her family did not survive the war, the diary that she wrote, was eventually published in 1947. The house was turned into a museum on May 3, 1960. The Anne Frank House along with the Van Gogh Museum and Rijksmuseum are among the top 3 museums in Netherlands.
Anne Frank House – Inside (Tour)
The hiding place had a doorway to the annex that was masked with a moveable bookcase. However, in August 1944, the hideout was revealed and the people hiding in it were deported to different concentration camps. Anne’s diary was published and today it is celebrated as a bestseller. Only Otto Frank lived to tell tales of the war. When you visit the museum, you will get a tour around the rooms. These rooms give a reflection of the atmosphere during that time of war and how it was in that hiding place. There are historical documents, film images, photographs, and original objects belonging to the people who hid in the annex and those who helped illustrate what happened in the place or the events of the place. There is also the original diary of Anne and other notebooks all displayed in the museum.
The audio tour is very important to your visit in this place. It offers you information about the Second World War, the persecution of Jews, and the people who were into hiding at the secret annex and their helpers. You will find the audio tour a very crucial addition to documents, objects, and stories you get inside the museum.
Anne Frank – Story
On June 12, 1929 Anne Frank was born in Germany, Frankfurt am Main city. This is the place where the family of her father lived for many generations. Her sister Margot was three and half by the time Anne was born. During this time, Hitler rose to power and there was a growing anti-Semitism that resulted in loss of the carefree life of the Anne’s family. Many families decided to leave Germany including that of Otto Frank the father of Anne. The family left Germany and headed to Netherlands.
In Netherlands, Otto set up a business and the family found a home on the Merwedeplein. The threat of war continued to increase in Europe and while Otto and his family tried to find their way into USA or England, their attempts failed. In 1939, Germany invaded Poland and the Second World War started.
Although it was thought that Netherlands wouldn’t be involved in the war, in May 1940, the country was invaded by Germany troops. In about 5 days, the country surrendered to the Germany troops, and came under the Nazi occupancy. Now, Anti-Jewish regulations were put in place. Otto lost his business and their renewed attempt to relocate to the USA failed forcing him and his wife to go into hiding. He set up a hiding place at Prinsengracht 263.
On 5 July 1942 Frank’s daughter Margot received a call-up requiring her to report to a work camp in German. Frank’s family went into hiding the next day where they were joined by Van Pels family. A dentist known as Fritz Pfeffer later joined them to make a team of eight people. They remained in the hiding place for over two years. In the secret annex, they were helped by the office workers among other people who would arrange for food, books, and clothes. The helpers also helped them make communication with the outside world.
Before they went into hiding, Anne had received a dairy intended for her birthday and she began writing right away. She wrote about events and how they lived in the secret annex. She later edited the diary and created a novel she called The Secrete Annex (The Diary of a Young Girl). Thereafter they were discovered and arrested prior to finishing writing the novel. The arrest took place on 4 August 1944 and they were deported to Auschwitz, and from there to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where they died of typhus. Though Dutch authorities stated that Anne Frank and her family died on March 31, intensive research by Anne Frank House puts the death month as February. Otto Frank was the only one to survive the war among the eight people who hid in the secret annex.
Otto, the only survivor of the Franks, came back to Amsterdam after the war was over, to find that the diary was retained. It was saved by his secretary Miep Gies. Otto ensured that the diary was published in 1947. It was translated from the original Dutch version and published in English as ‘The Diary of a Young Girl’ in 1952, and then translated into more than 60 languages.
Location of Anne Frank House
The exact location of the building is on a canal known as Prinsengracht, which is in proximity to the Westerkerk, at Central Amsterdam.
Accessing Anne Frank House
A section of the museum is within an old Amsterdam canal-side house and the stairs used to access the old houses are pretty steep. If you are visiting the museum and you have difficulties walking, you may find it hard to climb the stairs. Those with wheelchairs may only be able to visit the modern area of the museum.
In the modern section of the museum, there is a temporary exhibition, a shop, and a café. Visitors can also wander around the museum with help of a virtual reality glass, which can be obtained at the information desk. Those visitors who are visually impaired may listen to an audio tour.
In the museum, there is also a cloakroom where visitors are able to leave their bags, coats, umbrellas, and other items. Only small bags can be taken inside the museum. Since there aren’t rooms to store large backpacks and bags or suitcases, visitors are advised that they leave their luggage in their hotel rooms. They can also deposit them at the Amsterdam Central Station.
If you want to purchase the Diary of Anne Frank, you can do that at the museum shop. There are also postcards and museum catalogues among other publications that you can buy. Purchasing these items helps conserve the museum and assists in educational activities. Photography is not usually allowed in the museum. One can also see personal objects of other people who hid in house. The highlight is a hinged cupboard of books which opens like a door.
The Anne Frank House offers a rich history and story of Otto Frank’s family and Anne. When you visit this museum, you experience the story through videos, photos, quotes, and original items found there. A virtual tour of the museum is also available through The Secret Annex Online where you can see much about the building at 263 Prinsengracht, the location where Anne Frank hid with the family for more than two years.
Inside the Anne Frank House, you will see the diary room, which Anne received on her 13th birthday on June 12, 1942. When the family had to go into hiding in the Secret Annex, Anne began to write her diary as well as fill other notebooks. In the museum, you will see someof the loose sheets of paper, on which Anne wrote about her experiences, while remaining in the hiding. In the Anne Frank House, you will also see two notebooks called ‘Favorite Quotes Book’ and ‘Tales Book’.
Anne Frank House –Timings
The museum is open from Sunday to Saturday – 9 AM to 10 PM. One can expect to spend 1 to 2 hours in this beautiful museum.
Anne Frank House – Entrance Fee (Ticket Prices)
As a prime tourist spot of Amsterdam, it attracts huge crowds which is why it make sense to pre-book your slot at least 30 to 60 days in advance. Tickets are not sold offline, you have to buy them online at
The website states that 80 percent of the tickets are sold two months in advance, while the remaining 20 percent are released on the same day.
The entrance fee is €10 with an additional €,50 handling fee per ticket.
When you buy a ticket, you have to make a reservation for a particular time slot. You can print out the ticket or have it saved on your smartphone.
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