Although we had heard that there was no photography allowed in the museum, we were hoping they were just rumors. Unfortunately, what we heard was true. So there are only a few pictures of us and the entrance to the building. The pictures below are the only ones we were able to take.
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| Entrance to Frank Otto's factory, where Anne and her family hid in the back in a secret annex. The wait time can be up to 3 hours to get in if you don't purchase your tickets ahead of time. |
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| View from across the canal. |
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| The church that Anne and her family would hear chiming. It sounds just like it does in the movie! |
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| Proud teachers who are thankful for the opportunity to be on this journey. |
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| Statue of Anne just around the corner from the entrance. This is actually seen as soon as you get off the tram. |
Pictures from here on out are taken from the website. No matter what, we hope to convey how inspired we were after leaving this museum. Our hearts were heavy throughout the museum, but an 8-minute movie at the end renewed our spirit and affirmed to us why it is so important for us to share our experience.
When we first entered the museum, we each received individual audio devices that narrated the pictures, exhibits, and movies throughout the museum in our native language. This allowed us to move freely about the museum at our own pace, taking our time to process everything we read and saw. We learned about the lives of the Franks leading up to the war, and then their time in the secret annex. We also learned about those that helped them.
Most of us have heard the name Miep Gies as the person responsible for helping them. But we learned about 3 other individuals that were essential to helping the Franks. Victor Kugler, Johannes Kleiman, and Bep Voskuijl were also workers in Otto Frank's factory, who, despite the threat to their lives, immediately agreed to help the Franks in hiding. During such a dark time it is important and uplifting to learn about individuals who are brave and willing to risk their lives to help others. We found ourselves contemplating something important: would we have so selflessly helped others in need?
Pictures (http://www.annefrank.org/en/Anne-Frank/All-people/)
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| Miep Gies |
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| Bep Voskuijl |
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| Jo Kleiman |
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| Victor Kugler |
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| Jan Gies |
After touring most of the museum, we came to a small hallway at the back of the building. It was unassuming, with a small bookshelf on the "back wall". One could not tell there was an additional part of the building behind that wall - aka "The Secret Annex." The bookshelf was actually built by Bep's father to disguise the entrance to the secret annex. It swung open revealing a large step up to the entrance to a room and a steep, narrow staircase leading to the second floor.
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The bookcase that led to the Secret Annex.
(http://www.annefrank.org/en/Anne-Frank/Not-outside-for-2-years/) |
We are hesitant to say this, but we all felt that the secret annex was not as small as we anticipated. It surprised some of us that it was two floors, plus an attic where Anne liked to escape for fresh air and to see outside. Don't get us wrong it was very small, but we all thought that is was going to be shockingly small and cramped.
We realized that the real hardship about the annex was that it was shared by 8 people (who did not all know each other). They could never leave. Could never go outside. Never be alone. During the day they had to be absolutely silent - they could not talk, walk around, or even use the bathroom out of fear that someone working in the factory below would hear them.
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| Anne Frank |
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| Otto Frank |
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| Edith Frank |
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| Margot Frank |
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| Hermann van Pels |
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| Auguste van Pels |
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| Peter van Pels |
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| Fritz Pfeffer |
Pictures: (http://www.annefrank.org/en/Anne-Frank/All-people/)
Anne's parent's room was first, it was long and narrow and contained two beds. Anne's sister Margot slept in here when Fritz Pfeffer joined them in hiding. Next was Anne's room that she initially shared with Margot and then with Pfeffer (who joined the Franks later). This room was difficult to see, but not because it was small. The walls were still covered with the pictures that Anne had torn out of magazines and glued to the wall herself. Pictures of movie stars, actors, and actresses that she idolized. Seeing this made her so much more real to us and reminded us that she was just a young girl, like so many other young girls, who wanted to grow up and be famous. We all plastered our walls with faces of our favorite movie stars! We all fantasized about meeting our crushes one day. We even wanted to be movie stars or singers - just like Anne did. Seeing the pictures glued to the wall, covered in a plexiglass to preserve them, brought tears to our eyes. We felt a connection to Anne in a way we did not expect.
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Anne's writing desk. You can see the pictures on the wall that Anne glued.
(http://www.annefrank.org/en/Anne-Frank/Not-outside-for-2-years/Daily-activities/) |
We walked through the bathroom that contained a sink, toilet, and tub. Then we climbed the stairs to the next level which contained a larger room. This room served as the Van Pels bedroom, as well as the kitchen. Their beds had to be put away every day to make this a communal living space. The Van Pels were a family of three who arrived shortly after the Frank's had been living there. Just outside of this room was another set of stairs that led to the attic. Under the stairs was a small nook where the Van Pels son, Peter, slept. We were not allowed to go up to the attic, but you could look up and see the window that Anne would sneak off to in order to get a look at the world outside. Her small escape.
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| Shared bathroom. |
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| Kitchen/dining area/Van Pels bedroom. |
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| Peter's bedroom. You can see the stairs that lead up to the attic. This was an area off limits for most of the day, but Anne would sneak up here to escape. |
Pictures: (http://www.annefrank.org/en/Anne-Frank/Not-outside-for-2-years/-The-Secret-Annex/)
After exiting the Secret Annex, the museum tour continued. We read how the Nazis raided the annex and the fate of the people who hid there. Otto Frank was the only one to survive the camps. We saw the transport list of prisoners captured that fateful day. It was a long list full of names. How many Anne Frank's were out there? Anne is important, a historical figure if you will. But how many others were murdered and didn't get to tell their story?
In one exhibit, we watched a video about when Otto was finally able to read Anne's diary. Miep Gies found it and held onto it until she could return it to Anne. Unfortunately, that wasn't in the cards. But she did give it to Otto, who couldn't bear to read it for quite some time. It was very emotional, particularly from the eyes of a parent. He said he saw a side of Anne through her writing that he never saw before. He said she was so smart and wise and had such deep thoughts. I cried when he said, "I never really knew my child." And while this was so terribly sad, there is also the silver lining that through her diary he did get to know his child, because there were millions of other parents that did not get that chance.
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| Anne's diary. |
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| A page from inside her diary. Anne also wrote many short stories. She wanted to be a writer one day. |
Pictures: (http://www.annefrank.org/en/Anne-Frank/A-diary-as-a-best-friend/Anne-throws-herself-into-writing/)
At the end of the museum, there are many family photos - Anne's precocious spirit is captured so well!! We found ourselves smiling through the tears at some family moments captured. Again, we connected with Anne on a level we didn't think we would. It's amazing that so many photographs were saved because most families did not get that same opportunity.
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Some family photos at the museum.
(http://www.annefrank.org/en/Museum/Exhibitions/Temporary-Exhibitions/A-family-portrait/) |
There is also an eight-minute movie about the impact of Anne's diary. It's a must see - it has many powerful messages from celebrities and visitors to the museum. This video is what left us feeling inspired. The message given and received was brilliant. One visitor's message that stuck with us was about racism. He said, "Racism should be nipped in the bud; we don't like to think something like this could happen again, but of course it's possible, it'll always be possible as long as racism exists." We need to stop it in its tracks! Promote tolerance, acceptance, kindness, love. We have something special in store for our students!
Another message was from John Green, author of "The Fault in Our Stars". In his book, it said, "The book (containing the names of 103,000 Dutch Jews killed during the Holocaust) was turned to the page with Anne Frank's name, but what got me about it was the fact that right beneath her name there were four Aron Franks. FOUR. Four Aron Franks without museums, without historical markers, without anyone to mourn them. I silently resolved to remember and pray for the four Aron Franks as long as I was around." This is the exact feeling we had looking at the transport list of all the Jews captured and sent away to concentration camps.
Anne famously wrote in her diary, "I want to go on living even after my death!" It's heartbreaking to know that she got her wish, and it's haunting to think about. We celebrate her life and regret that she didn't live because of all the things she could have accomplished - but there were 6 million other Jews that lost their lives that also had a story and talents and "would haves" that we will sadly never know.
