Anne Frank House, Amsterdam

Favorite thing: Anne Frank was one of the Jewish victims of Nazi persecution during the second world war. After Nazi Germany invaded the Netherlands in 1940, increasingly severe anti-Jewish measures began here as well. The Frank family tried to escape by going into hiding. On July 1942, Otto Frank, Edith Frank-Hollander and their daughters Margot and Anne hid in this building on the Prinsengracht. They where later joined by Mr. and Mrs Daan, their sun Peter and Mr. Dussel. The building consists of two parts : a front house and a back anex. Otto Frank's business was located in the front house. The uppermost floors of the back anexe became the hiding place. After more than two years the group was betrayed and deported. Anne and Margot died of typhes in Bergen-Belsen in March 1945, only a few weeks before this concentration camp was liberated. Otto Frank, the only member of the group to survive, returned after the war.
During the hiding period Anne Frank kept a diary. In it she described daily life in the back anexe, the isolation and the fear of discovery. Anne's diary survived the war: after the betrayal it was found by Miep Gies, one of the helpers. When it was confirmed that Anne would not be returning, Miep gave the manuscripts to Otto Frank. In 1947 the first Dutch edition appeared. Since then the diary has been published in more then 55 languages.
Opening Hours
daily from 9 am to 5 pm
April 1st to September 1st 9 am to 9 pm
May 4th 9 am to 7 pm
January 1st and December 25th 12 noon to 5 pm

The Anne Frank House will be closed on Yom Kippur

Favorite thing: Visit the Anne Frank Museum, it is one of the best places I have visited, to see where the little girl lived who tragically died in World War II

Fondest memory: Wandering around the quaint streets and feeling very relaxed and absorbed in the atmosphere of a wonderful city

Favorite thing: Ann Franc's house. Everyone should realise and understand what racial hatred can do.

Fondest memory: Amsterdam is a city for ordinary people, it isn't grand, the buildings don't overawe, everything is to a human scale. Drinking in ordinary Dutch pubs and bars, talking to ordinary Dutch people and finding yourself accepted by them is my best memory.

Fondest memory: Anne Frank's home was incredible. So rich with history, you can almost live the memories as they occured decades ago. At the risk of repeating everything anyone has ever said about this home, I'll say without hesitation that it is the SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT historical site I've visited.

To give you some perspective, I've toured up and down the East Coast in America. I've seen plenty of history from the Revoltionary War, Civil War and the first days of America. Hell, I even drive by Columbine High School a few times a month and have to acknowledge that it is more than just another school. And as much as I was moved by the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C., none of the above can compare to the home of Anne Frank.

But just like Columbine, Vietnam and the many wars our world has seen, Anne Frank speaks volumes about how quickly our lives can be turned upside down. Genocide is going on everyday because there are those who care little for life. As I've mentioned on my Littleton mentioned, we just need to learn tolerance and communication to prevent these types of tragedies in the future.

The picture is of a church next to the Anne Frank home. I have a photo of the home itself, but you can't really get a sense for it, due to how it has change as a result of the tour.

Favorite thing: Visit Anne Frank's house which is now a museum. Very interesting with lots of information including videos, journals, and interactive displays. I was actually surprised to find the living space was a little larger than I imagined. This is a MUST see! Located at 263 Prisengracht.

Favorite thing: Visit the Anne Frank Museum. Here you get a chance to go through the secret rooms where Anne Frank and family hid from the Nazis, and where she wrote into her diary.