Interior of the Anne Frank Museum
Amsterdam is possibly one of the most complete cities in Europe: from the cruises through its canals to its tulip gardens and churches of another time passing through such iconic places as the Anne Frank house. A refuge that, decades after the horrors he witnessed, is open to the public to remind us of the importance of a world without war or conflict. Are you coming with us to visit the Anne Frank House?
The Anne Frank House: x-ray of a horror tale
During the known as dutch golden ageIn the XNUMXth century, many Jews came fleeing from countries such as Portugal or Spain to settle in cities such as Amsterdam. It would be here where the precious stones would begin to build a Jewish Quarter that has become one of the most famous places in the city of canals. However, none of them featured the appearance of a man named Adolf Hitler whose Nazi troops would take the city in the early 40s.
La frank family, formed by Otto Frank, his wife Edith Hollander and their daughters Margot and Ana, decided to flee from Germany to settle in Amsterdam, where they dedicated themselves to the spice trade. An apparently idyllic situation that was cut short when the Nazis stormed the Dutch city.
Before it was too late, the family took refuge in "the Secret Annex," a secret extension of the warehouse in the Prinsengrach canal located west of Amsterdam. They were joined by four other people: Fritz Pfeffer, a Jewish dentist friend of Otto, and the van Pels family of Hermann and Auguste van Pels and their son Peter. The internment began on July 9, 1942.
Shortly before this date, and coinciding with Ana's 13th birthday, his parents gave him a diary which became the true sanctuary of the young woman during her hidden years. Some sheets in which she wrote not only about the universe of a girl her age, but about the tension and conflicts of a world that she was just beginning to understand.
After being discovered by the Nazis on August 4, 1944, the family was separated and transferred to different concentration camps. Anne and her sister Margot died of typhus in March 1045 in the Bergen-Belsen camp., being his father Otto the only survivor of this nightmare. After returning to Amsterdam, the people who were in charge of protecting his location during his months in "the secret house", gave him the documents and the diary of his daughter.
In 1947, Anne Frank's diary was published becoming a success and, paradoxically, in the best reflection of what was one of the darkest episodes of humanity. The popularity of the book was attracting the interest of readers and locals who began to approach the house where everything had happened, which was about to be demolished in the 50s.
Fortunately, the Anne Frank House Museum was inaugurated on May 3, 1960, instantly becoming one of the must-see places during any stay in the city of Amsterdam.
Exploring the Anne Frank House
Located at 263-267 Prinsengracht, the Anne Frank House Museum is made up of a main building where Otto Frank had his business and an annex house later compared by the museum. The first house consists of a ground floor where the order area was located and behind it the place where the spices were ground, while the offices of Otto's employees were installed on the first floor, who moved his business to this address In 1940.
He is known as Achterhuis (or annex house), is an extension of the building surrounded by neighboring houses that allowed to hide its position, making it the perfect refuge for the family.
Throughout the visit, and especially after going through the huge bookcase that, like a door, concealed access to "the annexe" begins a tour of places that inspire both nostalgia and compassion. The visit to the house includes a free audio guide, an indispensable ally when it comes to understanding the history of the Franks or how they conceived the space they had to share for just over two years.
In this way, we can access the shared bathroom that begins the immersion in the house, the room whose walls Ana had printed different stickers of her pin-up idols, or the windows where the family once placed large fabrics to hide assumption. Next to Ana's room is the room for the rest of her family, while the upper floor houses the van Pel's bedrooms and, shortly after, you can access the attic, at the top.
The visit to the Anne Frank House links to the annex museum where a series of recordings, audios, videos and documents they rescue extracts of the family and, especially, of Otto Frank after his return to Amsterdam. Captivating words that, at least in my case, brought a lump to my throat, since above all, the experience of visiting the house finds in its final stretch the most visual justification for the horrors to which its inhabitants were subjected. The museum also has a cafeteria and a shop where you can get souvenirs or a copy of the newspaper.
Given the influx of the Anne Frank House, it is recommended to arrive as quickly as possible at the entrance or reserve the tickets in advance through your web page.
The Anne Frank House Museum is open every day from 9:00 a.m. to 23:00 p.m.
Exploring one of the great sights of Amsterdam means doing it in one of the bloodiest episodes in history. A walk through the life and work of a girl whose conception of the world did not include the pain and suffering to which thousands of Jews were subjected throughout history, but especially during the XNUMXth century.
Would you like to visit the Anne Frank House?