Netherlands Guide
Amsterdam
Anne Frank Huis
Opening time: Daily: mid-March to mid-Sept 9am–9pm; mid-Sept to mid-March 9am–7pm; closed Yom Kippur
Price: €7.50, 10- to 17-year-olds €3.50, under-9s free
Telephone: 020/556 7100
Website: www.annefrank.nl
Address: Prinsengracht 267
In 1957, the Anne Frank Foundation set up the Anne Frank Huis in the house where the young diarist and her family were in hiding for two years. Since the posthumous publication of her diaries, Anne Frank has become extraordinarily famous, in the first instance for recording the iniquities of the Holocaust, and latterly as a symbol of the fight against oppression and, in particular, racism. The house is now one of the most popular attractions in town, so try to go early (or late) to avoid the crowds.
Anne Frank's diary was among the few things left behind in the annexe. It was retrieved by one of the people who had helped the Franks and handed to Anne's father on his return from Auschwitz; he later decided to publish it. Since its appearance in 1947, the diary has been constantly in print, translated into over sixty languages, and has sold millions of copies worldwide. The rooms the Franks lived in for two years are left much the same as they were during the war, even down to the movie star pin-ups in Anne's bedroom and the marks on the wall recording the children's heights. Remarkably, despite the number of visitors, there is a real sense of intimacy here and only the coldest of hearts could fail to be moved. Apposite video clips on the family in particular and the Holocaust in general give the background. Anne Frank was only one of about 100,000 Dutch Jews who died during World War II, but this, her final home, provides one of the most enduring testaments to its horrors. Her diary has been a source of inspiration to many, including Nelson Mandela.