Anne Frank’s House – Visiting the Secret Annex

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Anne Frank is one of the most famous victims of the Holocaust thanks to her father and Miep Gies who published her diary in 1947.

If you are anything like me, growing up Anne Frank was a popular interval to connecting pre-teens and teenagers with the horrors of the holocaust. This meant that many of us have either read her diary and/or watched one of the movies dedicated to portraying her life.

I can still remember the first time watching the 1959 version of “The Diary of Anne Frank”. It was spring of 5th grade, all of the classrooms of our grade gathered in one room. With rows of kids sitting on the industrial carpet and the lights out, we were introduced to this iconic movie and for me, the interest in understanding the events and victims of the holocaust began.

The ironic part is that I did not actually read “Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl By Anne Frank” until college. But it also was not my first holocaust memoir or diary, nor would it be my last.

Check out my list of memorable Holocaust Memoirs.

Who is Anne Frank?

Anne Frank was born in Frankfurt Germany but spent the majority of her life in the Netherlands with her sister, Margot, and her parents, Otto and Edith Frank.

On July 6, 1942, the Frank family went into hiding from the Nazis. The small annex is located above Otto Frank’s business. They were joined by the Van Pels family and Fritz Pfeffer, where the eight of them spent over two years in hiding.

On August 4, 1944, the Franks, Van Pels, and Fritz Pfeffer were captured by the Nazis and taken to concentration camps. Of the eight individuals, Otto Frank was the only survivor of the Nazis and was liberated in January 1945.

It is believed that both Anne and Margot died of typhus fever shortly before the Bergan-Belsen concentration camp was liberated. Anne was only 16 when she was murdered by the Nazis.

How did Anne Frank become famous?

Anne Frank became famous in death ,when her father, Otto Frank, decided to publish her diary, named Kitty.

How can I learn more about Anne Frank?

There is a lot of history around Anne, the Franks, and the Nazi occupation that I could not put it all into one post. But I highly recommend that you read Anne Frank’s diary and check out the museums’ website to learn more about who Anne Frank is and her impact on history.

Visiting the Secret Annex

The day I visited the Secret Annex came right after one of the scariest encounters I’ve had while traveling abroad.

To be honest, I almost didn’t make it out of my hotel room, but I had an early morning admission to the Anne Frank house and she was the main reason I was visiting Amsterdam after all.

So with all the courage in the world, I made my way to

Westermarkt 20, 1016 GV Amsterdam, Netherlands, the location of Anne Frank’s House and museum.

I don’t know if my head was in the right space when visiting, but I felt like it was a whirl for me as I walked through the annex.

I skipped out on the audio tour, which I think personally was a mistake; despite reading the book and watching movies, there really isn’t any way to explain or understand everything you will see and feel while in the actual location.

The stairs leading into the secret annex, the ones hidden behind the bookcase. Similar to climbing a ladder, it was probably one of the scariest and worse stairs I’ve climbed, and to think they did this with buckets of water, suitcases, and furniture!

The annex does not allow photography for preservation reasons, but as you walk through you can see where they spent time listening to the radio, peeling potatoes for dinner or where Anne had her first kiss with Peter.

The part that brought me back to reality was her bedroom where you can see the movie star posters she cherished so dearly. It brought me back to the time when I hung pictures of The Backstreet Boys and Hanson all over my bedroom wall with hopes of someday… well you get it. All the innocents I felt at that point, the freedom of expression and hope for a fantastic future, and the pain that Anne and Margot never got that.

You walk through the rest of the house, but her bedroom wall made the biggest impression on me, something I still carry on to this day.

Once you are done with the tour you exit into a museum where you can learn more about Anne and even see Kitty up close.

The museum again was a blur, except for Kitty and the last school pictures of Anne.

While I wish I could give you more details about my visit to the Secret Annex, it was clouded by the previous day’s events. However, I think without my visit, my personal strength and hope would have dwindled. I gained strength from Anne and the whole Frank family that day. They survived 2 years in Nazi occupation in a way I could never imagine. That took strength that I don’t think many Americans will ever understand.

What you need to know before you visit

Upon entering the museum you are asked to move any large bags such as backpacks to the front of your body. I didn’t fully understand this as it felt more like a safety hazard when climbing the stairs, but once you enter the annex it becomes a lot clearer.

The rooms and hallways are extremely small in width and the rubbing of backpacks can cause harm to the preservation of the historical site.

So if you are like me & throw a backpack on almost every time you step out of the hotel, reconsider for your visit to the Annex.

Does the museum have a coat room?

Yes, they do have a coatroom where you can check coats, strollers, and larger bags. But please note that currently during the pandemic the coatroom is closed

Recommendation for tickets:

Purchase your tickets online. There is a limited number of tickets provided each day & waiting in the line can take hours. Personally, I waited in line for 10 minutes before the doors were opened.

Cost for Anne Frank Museum

Adult	€ 14.00*
Children 10-17	€ 7.00*
Children 0-9	€ 1.00*

*When ordering online there is a € 1.00 booking fee.

When are they open?

The hours you can visit Anne Frank’s Museum is the following:

Monday – Thursday 9 AM – 9 PM

Friday – Sunday 9 AM – 10 PM

Accessibility within Anne Frank Museum

There are many stairs in the secret annex that can be steep to climb. Unfortunately, they do not have an elevator due to keeping the historical preservation.

The museum does a much better job explaining the accessibility for those in wheelchairs or visually impaired. Click here if you want to learn more about the accessibility of the Anne Frank Museum.

Final Thoughts

I hope to visit the Secret Annex again someday, this time opting into the audio tour. I want to take my time and not rush, explore the simplicity and intricacy that Otto Frank put into building a safe place for his family. While the few staircases in the Annex were daunting, I take solace in knowing that at one point in time terrified men, women and children climbed those stairs to save their lives and for 2 years, it did just that.