Who Was Anne Frank?

Learn about the life of Anne Frank, a young Jewish girl who was forced into hiding during the Holocaust. Discover her remarkable story of hope and resilience in the face of unimaginable tragedy.

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Anne Frank’s early life

Anne Frank was born on June 12, 1929, in Frankfurt, Germany. She was the second daughter of Otto Frank and Edith Hollander Frank. Her sister, Margot, was three years older. The Franks were a prosperous Jewish family who lived in Amsterdam, Netherlands, where Anne enjoyed a happy childhood and early adolescence. Otto Frank owned a successful business that manufactured pectin, a food additive used in jams and jellies.

The Franks were liberal Jews and did not practice their religion regularly. However, Anne and Margot were sent to the Montessori school, which had a Jewish principal. In 1933, soon after Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany and his Nazi party rose to power, the Franks made the decision to move to Amsterdam.

By 1942, conditions for Jews in German-occupied Holland had deteriorated badly enough that hiding from the Nazis was deemed necessary. The Franks went into hiding in an apartment that was part of Otto Frank’s office building (now called the Anne Frank House). Another family joined them later: the Van Pels family— Augustus (“Dutch”), his wife Petronella (“ Pepel “ or “Pep”), and their teenage son Peter— plus Hermann van Pels’ 17-year-old partner Fritz Pfeffer (“ Albert Dussel “), who moved in with them in December 1942 .

The Frank family’s move to the Netherlands

In the summer of 1933, nine-year-old Anne Frank and her family—mother Edith, father Otto, and older sister Margot—moved from Germany to Amsterdam in the Netherlands. The Franks were German Jews who believed that Hitler’s Nazi party would not target them for discrimination because they did not practice their religion publicly. They were also planning to move to the United States eventually. When Hitler became Chancellor of Germany in January 1933 and began instituting his anti-Semitic policies, the Franks realized they could no longer stay in Germany.

The Franks moved into a house called the Annex, which was part of Otto Frank’s business premises. The Annex had three floors and was located behind Otto Frank’s office building. Anne and her family lived on the top floor, while employees of Otto Frank’s company occupied the floors below them. In 1942, another family joined them in hiding: Fritz Pfeffer, a dentist; Hermann and Auguste van Pels, who ran a spice company; and their son Peter van Pels.

Anne Frank’s time in hiding

Anne Frank was a young Jewish girl who was forced to go into hiding during the Holocaust. She and her family were forced to hide in an attic for two years to escape the Nazis. During this time, Anne wrote a diary in which she detailed her experiences and thoughts.

The discovery of the Frank family’s hiding place

In the summer of 1944, a group of Nazis raided the offices of the Dutch broadcasting company in Amsterdam. They were looking for out-of-date radios that could be used to communicate with their troops in occupied Europe. The workers at the broadcasting company put up a fight, and in the confusion, eight workers managed to escape. One of them was Anne Frank’s father, Otto.

Otto Frank had been working with the Dutch Resistance, and he knew that if he was captured, he would be killed. He also knew that his family would be safer if they were not found with him. So he went into hiding with his wife and two daughters.

The Franks were helped by Otto’s employees, Miep Gies and Bep Voskuijl. Miep and Bep worked in the office next to Otto’s, and they were able to bring food and supplies to the family in their hiding place.

For two years, the Franks lived in a secret apartment behind Otto’s office. They were careful to make as little noise as possible so that they would not be discovered.

In August 1944, someone betrayed their hiding place to the Nazis, and the family was arrested. They were sent to concentration camps, where Anne and her sister, Margot, died of disease. Otto Frank was the only member of the family to survive the Holocaust.

Anne Frank’s diary

Anne Frank’s diary is one of the most famous and well-known pieces of Holocaust literature. Anne Frank was a young Jewish girl who went into hiding with her family during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. Anne and her family were eventually discovered by the Gestapo and sent to concentration camps, where Anne ultimately died.

Anne’s diary was published posthumously by her father, Otto Frank. The diary has been translated into dozens of languages and has been read by millions of people around the world. It is considered to be one of the most important pieces of Holocaust literature because it provides a unique perspective on the experience of living in hiding and illustrates the human capacity for hope and resilience in the face of tremendous adversity.

The publication of Anne Frank’s diary

The publication of Anne Frank’s diary began on June 25, 1947, when the first volume, The Diary of a Young Girl, was released in the Netherlands. The second volume, Het Achterhuis: Dagboekbrieven 14 Juni 1942 – 1 Augustus 1944 (The Annex: Diary Notes 14 June 1942 – 1 August 1944), was released in 1950.

Anne Frank’s diary has been read by millions of people around the world and has been translated into more than 70 languages.

The legacy of Anne Frank

Anne Frank is one of the most well-known victims of the Holocaust. Her diary, which chronicled her experiences hiding from the Nazis during World War II, has been read by millions of people around the world.

Born in Frankfurt, Germany, in 1929, Anne and her family were forced to flee their home when the Nazis came to power. They eventually settled in Amsterdam, where Anne attended school and made a close group of friends.

In 1942, following the Nazi occupation of Holland, Anne and her family went into hiding in an attic apartment. For more than two years, they survived on food rationed by Anne’s father, Otto Frank. During their time in hiding, Anne wrote extensively in her diary, documenting her thoughts on the war, her relationships with her family and friends, and her hopes for the future.

In 1944, their hiding place was discovered by the Gestapo and Anne and her family were deported to Nazi concentration camps. Anne died at the Bergen-Belsen camp just weeks before it was liberated by Allied forces. She was 15 years old.

Anne’s diary was saved by one of her father’s employees and published after the war. It has since been translated into more than 60 languages and continues to inspire people around the world with its message of hope and resilience in the face of adversity.

Anne Frank in popular culture

Anne Frank’s life has been dramatised in stage plays, movies and television series. The 1965 play The Diary of Anne Frank was adapted for the screen in 1967 starring Millie Perkins as Anne Frank. This version of the diary received mixed reviews, but Perkins received an Academy Award nomination for her portrayal. In 1977, a made-for-television movie was produced with Shelley Winters in the lead role. It was based on the book Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl and told the story up to Anne’s arrest. In 1997, a film version was produced directed by Hans Steinbichler starring Ben Kingsley as Otto Frank and Hanna Schygulla as Edith Frank. This film used edited excerpts from Anne’s diary read by actress globy .

The Anne Frank House museum

Anne Frank was a German-born diarist and one of the most discussed Jewish victims of the Holocaust.Her wartime diary, The Diary of a Young Girl,was published in 1947 and has since been translated into more than 60 languages. During her lifetime, Anne Frank became a symbol of the Holocaust, and has been referred to as “the voice of a generation”.

The Anne Frank Centre in the UK

The Anne Frank Centre in the UK is a world-renowned museum and research centre dedicated to the life and legacy of Anne Frank, a young Jewish girl who was forced into hiding during the Holocaust. The Centre provides educational resources and programs for visitors of all ages, and promotes understanding and respect for the lessons of Anne Frank’s life.