Anne Frank House - Amsterdam

The famous Secret Annex on Prinsengracht, now the Anne Frank House, was the hiding place of Anne Frank and her family during World War II. For more than two years, this Jewish family, like so many others in Europe, lived in a world between hope and fear. Years earlier, the Frank family had fled from Germany to the Netherlands. National Socialism was on the rise in Germany, with Jews in particular suffering.

Yet things did not stay quiet in the Netherlands. The persecution of Jews also gained a foothold here after the German invasion. In July 1942, the Frank family went into hiding in the premises of father Otto's Opekta (a company that traded in a fruit powder used to make jam).

Only a few people within Opekta know about the hiders. Some employees, such as warehouse workers, suspect nothing and are kept ignorant kept. But confidants such as Bep Voskuijl (Opekta's administrative assistant) and Miep Gies (Opekta's customer service employee) have long had a good friendship with the Frank family. They appear willing to risk their lives to help the people in hiding. There are other helpers: Victor Kugler, Jan Gies, Johannes Kleiman and Johan Voskuijl. They are the hiders' link to the outside world.

After a while, the Jewish Pels family joins the hiders in the Secret Annex, and an eighth hider: Fritz Pfeffer. To avoid being discovered, no one is allowed to leave the small Secret Annex, and during the day, silence is absolute. The adolescent, perceptive and always up front Anne is forced by circumstances to hold back for two years. This regularly leads to conflicts with her mother Edith, while the relationship with her father Otto is close. During this time, Anne writes everything down in her famous diary, her outlet.

Anne increasingly struggled with having to be in hiding. The longing for nature and freedom played an increasing role for her during those two years of fear and uncertainty. The attic window on the fourth floor offered a magnificent view of the blue sky, fluttering birds and a majestic chestnut tree. Anne describes this tree several times in her diary. She felt so down during that period. Having to live in silence, with always the same people around you and little privacy. Anne felt like a bird in a cage. But the thought of free nature ─ with that beautiful chestnut tree in particular ─ gave her hope and offered her comfort. Looking at the peaceful nature in all its beauty with a housemate, she wrote: ‘All that moved and grabbed us both so much that we could no longer speak.

The Secret Annex is now a museum, where visitors can see with their own eyes how the people in hiding had to hide all that time. Due to overwhelming interest, if you want to visit the museum, you need to make reservations several weeks in advance.