Who was Anne Frank? Anne Frank does not need much of an introduction as she features in most school textbooks. Her interesting story as well as the tragedy of her life is something that has gained attention for decades.

How did it All Start?

She was born in Germany on 12th June 1929 where she lived with her parents and an elder sister named Margot, who was three years older than her. In those days Germany lacked development and unemployment was a huge concern and something that was an issue for most of the people because of which Anne’s father had to look for jobs elsewhere.

As a result, they decided to shift to Amsterdam in hope of better living conditions and some scope for employment. He decided to open up a business of an ingredient that is used in gourmet food. His business did not do well until he started adding some herbs into the ingredient.

What Happened to Anne Frank?

Anne was happy with the new environment where her parents had brought her. She adjusted well to the new surroundings and neighborhood and even learned the Dutch language which was completely new to her. She was excited about starting her new life in the Netherlands and thought things would go well for her and her family.

During those days, back in Germany, Hitler’s support had gained a huge momentum that compelled people to follow every order he gave no matter how cruel it was. The hate towards Jews spread in all the provinces that Hitler’s party gained support which only encouraged further hatred and discrimination against the community.

This forced Anne’s family to go into hiding in one of her father’s ragged wooden structures which he built during his company’s start-up along with a family called the Van Pels.

How Long did Anne Frank Hide from the Nazis?

They spent two years in that secluded house that they called the ‘Secret Annex’ and it was during that time she had her 13th birthday and received a diary which she used for writing her thoughts, feelings, and day-to-day activities and thus, was something that she confided in. It was because of this diary that the world got to know about the innermost sides of the discrimination and torture of the Nazis through a little girl’s eyes.

The diary was found by her father after he was rescued by the Russian military after the defeat of Hitler, while sadly, all of his family had died by then. Anne and the other female members of her family were separated from their father and were sent to the concentration camps for men and women separately when their hiding place was raided by the Nazi officials.

How did Anne Frank Die?

Anne, her mother and sister were taken to concentration camps and the train where they were put was seriously cramped. They suffered from malnutrition and lack of proper accommodation. After they were sent to the first camp, Anne and her sister were shifted to Bergen-Belsen in Germany after almost 3 months of forced labor in the previous camp.

It was unhygienic and infested with deadly diseases which eventually caught up to Anne and her sister and resulted in their death shortly after, in the initial months of the next year.

Her father Otto came to the same place where he and his family had hidden for two years and went through the scraps of the house. It was after the war had ended that he realized his family was no more. He was given her diary by Miep Gies who was their helper during the time of their hiding and told him that it was something Anne would have wanted her family to keep.

Anne Frank House

The house that Anne’s family used for hiding has been turned into a museum that opened in 1960 and serves as a reminder of the discrimination the Jew community faced in those days and even had nowhere to go or live normal lives like the rest of the citizens.

The Anne Frank house is located in Amsterdam and is a must-visit for those who have a knack for historical writings and the authenticity that it provides alongside the history attached to it. The museum has attracted history enthusiasts from all over the world as well as those who admire the historical artifacts of the times that have so many stories to tell.

After the publication of Anne Franks’s diary in 1947 which sold over thousands of copies in those days, the museum became a place of revelation and re-living the Holocaust. It served as a memory of all those victims who were represented through the writings of the little girl which inspired several movies on her such as The Diary Of Anne Frank, Where is Anne Frank, Anne Frank Remembered, and many more.