Inside The Museum | Anne Frank House

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The Anne Frank House is a museum with a story. As a visitor, you experience this story through quotes, photos, videos, and original items. The atmosphere in the museum is authentic and subdued.

The main house and the annex

On 6 July 1942, the Frank family went into hiding in the building at Prinsengracht 263. The building housed Otto Frank’s business. Later, they were joined by the Van Pels family and Fritz Pfeffer. The building consisted of two parts: the main house and the annex. The eight people hid on the top floors of the annex. When Otto Frank was the only one to return from Auschwitz in June 1945, the annex was empty and barren. In 1960, the Anne Frank House opened its doors as a museum, but at Otto’s request, the annex stayed empty.

Anne Frank’s room

Anne had to share a room with Fritz Pfeffer, which led to frequent arguments. Not being able to go outside was hard for her. Her diary was a place to vent. To brighten up the room, Anne put pictures on the wall.

‘Thanks to Father, who had brought my whole collection of picture postcards and movie stars here beforehand, I have been able to treat the walls with a pot of glue and a brush and so turn the entire room into one big picture.’ Anne Frank, 11 July 1942

Diary room

Here you can see the original red-checked diary Anne Frank received for her 13th birthday on 12 June 1942. A few weeks later, the Frank family had to go into hiding. Once in the Secret Annex, it was not long before Anne had filled her diary, and she continued writing in notebooks. In March 1944, Anne learned that the government would be collecting diaries after the war and she decided to rewrite her entire diary. She dreamt of becoming a famous writer and journalist. The rewritten version consists of 215 loose sheets of paper, some of which are shown alternately in the museum. The other two notebooks on display are the ‘Favourite Quotes Book’, in which Anne copied quotes she liked, and her ‘Tales Book’ with short stories she had thought up.

‘Who is missing?’ - The Jewish Lyceum 1941-1943

By order of the Nazis, all Jewish pupils had to attend Jewish schools after the summer of 1941. This temporary exhibition follows the school with its Jewish pupils and teachers during its two-year existence. Anne Frank and her sister Margot also attended the Jewish Lyceum. They made new friends and achieved good results. Anne and Margot went into hiding on July 6, 1942, after attending the Jewish Lyceum for a year. More students and teachers were arrested and deported or went into hiding. The classes became increasingly empty and the teaching staff increasingly smaller. In total, more than 500 pupils were taught by 44 teachers. Half of these pupils, including Anne and Margot, and 35% of these teachers were murdered during the Holocaust by the Nazis and their accomplices. 

Must-sees

All through the museum, you can still see traces and personal objects of the people who hid here. Below, you can see photos of the items you should definitely see to prepare for your visit:

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The hinged bookcase, entrance to the Secret Annex

‘Our hiding place has now become a true hiding place. Mr. Kugler, you see, thought it would be better to place a cupboard in front of our door, (there are a lot of searches being carried out for hidden bicycles,) but then of course a cupboard on hinges that can open like a door. Mr. Voskuijl built the piece of furniture.’ Anne Frank wrote in her diary on 21 August 1942.

Photo collection: Anne Frank Stichting, Amsterdam / photo: Cris Toala Olivares

Anne Frank’s first diary

'Writing lets me get rid of it all, my sorrow disappears, my courage is revived!' Anne wrote in her diary on 5 April 1944. Anne Frank’s original red-checked diary is on display at the museum.

Photo collection: Anne Frank Stichting, Amsterdam

Height marks of Anne and Margot Frank

From the start of the period in hiding, Otto and Edith Frank marked their daughters’ heights on their bedroom wall. In two years’ time, Margot grew 1 centimetre while Anne grew over 13 centimetres.

Photo collection: Anne Frank Stichting, Amsterdam

Map of Normandy

The people in the Secret Annex followed the advance of the Allied Forces on the radio. Otto Frank kept track of their progress on a map.

Photo collection: Anne Frank Stichting, Amsterdam

Plan your visit

• Tickets
• Practical information
• The story of Anne Frank, in short