Traveling to Amsterdam as part of our Viking Rhine Getaway cruise put a visit to Anne Frank House at the top of our itinerary. Located in the heart of Amsterdam, the Anne Frank House museum contains the diary Anne Frank kept during her long days in hiding. It is haunting yet beautiful at the same time. You cannot miss this historical, eye-opening tribute to the family and people who hid from the Nazis during World War II if you are looking for an authentic, subdued experience.
About Anne Frank
It was in this 17th-century canal house that Anne Frank, a young Jewish girl, and four other people hid from the Nazis during World War II.
For two years and one month, Anne remained hidden in the annex until the Nazi authorities raided it and arrested her. She and the others were deported to concentration camps where she eventually died of Typhus Fever there at the age of 15.
There was only one survivor of Anne’s family in the concentration camps: her father Otto. Recently, it was discovered that Arnold van den Bergh, a Jewish figure in Amsterdam, betrayed Anne Frank’s family for his own survival. The pieces of the puzzle were finally put together after 70 years of speculation. More details are available here.
Her diary, which she kept while in hiding for two years, gained her posthumous fame in 1947. She chronicled the details of her life in her diary and hundreds of loose pages.
Millions around the world have fallen in love with The Diary of Anne Frank because of the acute insight it offers into the nature of human beings along with its eloquent writing. You can order it on Amazon.
About Anne Frank House
Over a million visitors have visited The Anne Frank House annually since its opening in 1960. Although the Anne Frank House Museum is quite busy, it is a very moving place and is well worth a visit. Since our first trip to Amsterdam in 2018, the memory of Anne Frank House has stayed with us.
During the war, the annex was hidden from view by nearby houses, making it the perfect hiding place. During his time as a tenant of the Pieron Family, Otto Frank used the house for his workshop. His business was located on the ground and first floors, with the rest being devoted to offices and storage.
The Frank family hid on the second and third floors when it became too dangerous for Jews in Amsterdam. The ground floor and first floor continued to operate as usual and the bookcase was the only way to reach their hiding place. Since Prinsengracht 263 was so unusually set up, nobody noticed what was behind the bookcase in the secret annex.
Tips For Visiting
In Amsterdam, Anne Frank House is located directly on Prinsengracht 263 along the Prinsengracht Canal. The inhabited rooms of the house are just 500 square feet. There is a main house as well as a hidden annex, where Anne Frank went into hiding during World War II and wrote her famous, beloved diary.
Throughout the museum, there are numerous exhibition spaces, displaying various pages from her notebook as well as artifacts, bookcases, and former living spaces.
Anne Frank House tickets are only available online and are allocated to specific time slots, so be sure to arrive on time. Due to the popularity of the house, crowds are common at the Anne Frank House Museum entrance. However, they seem to disappear once inside as a result of the time slots and the quiet atmosphere. Be sure to purchase your tickets in advance. We were able to purchase our tickets 2 months in advance in 2018.
Tickets that are already booked cannot be rescheduled or refunded, so make sure you are able to make it on the day you planned. Previously, 20% of tickets were allotted for same-day sales, but that option has been discontinued.
The Anne Frank House does not offer guided tours, but it does offer a free audio tour. We highly recommend it because it deepens the experience.
In order to preserve the quality of the artifacts, photography is not permitted inside the museum so leave your camera at home. Furthermore, due to the steep and narrow stairwells, the house is not suitable for people with disabilities.
Introduction Program
It is highly recommended that you read the Diary of Anne Frank before visiting the Anne Frank House. The experience will be more meaningful if you understand it better. The book is available on Amazon for Kindle, audiobook, hardcover, and paperback.
If you haven’t read the book, you can do an introductory program before your visit. Anne Frank’s story and the persecution of Jews during the Second World War will be discussed. You will be better prepared for your visit with a better understanding of what to expect.
You must visit The Anne Frank House with an open heart and mind; it is a small piece of history that we should all learn more about.
What To Expect
The museum’s many rooms, nooks, and crannies allow visitors to get a sense of Anne Frank’s experience. Quotes, photos, film images, and original items, including Anne Frank’s diary, bring the story of Anne Frank to life in an authentic yet respectful way. The experience is one you don’t want to miss.
You will be transported back in time as you walk through Anne Frank House, with its steep stairwells and original artifacts.
You can freely wander through Anne Frank House, so make sure you see everything. A secret annex is hidden behind a hinged bookcase; be sure not to miss it.
During the Second World War, Anne was persecuted and discriminated against by thousands of Jews, and the main exhibition space pays a thoughtful and rich tribute to that. It is incredibly authentic, if not a little haunting, to visit the Anne Frank House museum, as much of it is perfectly preserved.
Conclusion
Make sure you put the Anne Frank House museum at the top of your list when you visit Amsterdam. Observing the pictures taped to Anne Frank’s walls and other exhibits allows us to view an incredible individual and reflect on the resilience of the human spirit.
If you are visiting the Anne Frank House museum, you might be interested in touring the Jewish Cultural Quarter. The Jewish Cultural Quarter Tour includes an entrance fee to the Jewish Cultural Quarter, which you can visit before or after the tour, and a 2-hour walking tour themed around Anne Frank.
Remember, it is necessary to purchase Anne Frank House tickets separately and in advance if you wish to enter the house.