Gazing at this statue of Anne Frank a question arises. How can one small life leave such a large imprint on the world? This is the Anne Frank Beeld. It is a memorial to a young girl whose diary became a symbol of hope. It stands here in Amsterdam.
Anne Frank was born Annelies Marie Frank in Frankfurt, Germany in 1929. Her family moved to Amsterdam in 1934. This was after Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party gained power. By May 1940, the Franks were trapped in Amsterdam. It happened due to the German occupation of the Netherlands. Anne lost her German citizenship in 1941. She became stateless. She never officially became a Dutch citizen.
In July 1942, persecutions increased. The family went into hiding in concealed rooms. These rooms were behind a bookcase. It was in the building where Anne’s father, Otto Frank, worked. The hiding place is known as the “secret annex”. Anne kept a diary. She had received it as a birthday present in 1942. She wrote in it regularly. This continued until their arrest by the Gestapo on August 4, 1944.
Following their arrest, the Franks were transported to concentration camps. Anne and her sister, Margot, went from Auschwitz to Bergen-Belsen in November 1944. They died there a few months later. It was likely due to typhus. The Red Cross estimated they died in March. Dutch authorities set March 31 as the official date. Later research suggests they may have died in February or early March.
Otto, was the only survivor in the Frank family. He returned to Amsterdam after World War II. He found Anne’s diary had been saved. His secretaries, Miep Gies and Bep Voskuijl, had kept it safe. Otto published her diary in 1947. He was moved by his daughter’s wish to be an author. It was translated from Dutch. It was first published in English in 1952. It was titled The Diary of a Young Girl. It has since been translated into over 70 languages.
Anne received the diary for her thirteenth birthday on June 12, 1942. She decided to use it as a diary. She named it Kitty. She began writing in it almost immediately. Her entry on June 20, 1942 lists restrictions. These restrictions were placed on the Dutch Jewish population.
In mid-1942, the deportation of Jews from the Netherlands began. Otto and Edith Frank planned to hide on July 16, 1942. Margot received a call-up notice. It ordered her to report for relocation to a work camp. They started their plan ten days earlier.
On July 6, 1942, the Frank family moved into their hiding place. It was a three-story space. It was entered from a landing above the Opekta offices. Some of Otto Frank’s employees were their helpers. This became known as the Achterhuis. It translates to “Secret Annex”.
Anne wrote about her relationships in her diary. She also wrote about differences in personalities. She was close to her father. The sisters became closer in hiding. Anne wrote about becoming friends with Margot. Anne aspired to be a journalist.
On August 4, 1944, the Achterhuis was stormed. German police led by Karl Silberbauer arrested them. The Franks, Van Pelses, and Pfeffer were taken to RSHA headquarters. They were interrogated. On August 5, they were moved to the Huis van Bewaring prison. Two days later they were transported to Westerbork transit camp.
Anne Frank died at Bergen-Belsen. The cause is unknown. It is suggested she died from a typhus epidemic. Witnesses said Margot fell from her bunk. Anne died a day after Margot.
This Anne Frank Beeld serves as a reminder. It is a reminder of the horrors of the Holocaust. It is a reminder of the power of hope. It also shows the importance of speaking out against injustice. Anne’s words continue to inspire generations. They inspire us to build a better world.