Anne Frank Haus

Paris Marathon Training: Week 9 of 18
Today’s target run: rest day

Thanks for letting me interrupt the Amsterdam travel stories for an Oscar post…it is almost a national holiday in my book and I felt the need to give the day its due. Now, back to Amsterdam.

One of the first stops and truly, one of the most moving places I have visited in my recent travels, was the Anne Frank Haus .

Most of us read the book in middle school, so we all acquainted with the story. Still, I was not prepared for how moved I would be by visiting the site in person.... Words fail me.

Anne Frank kept the diary from June 12, 1942 to August 1, 1944, and chronicled the hiding place that she her family, and a few of her father's colleagues used in Amsterdam to hide from the Nazis. Originally, she kept the diary for herself, but later she wrote that she wished to publish a book based on her diary. Sadly, she never got that chance, as her family and friends were discovered by the Nazis (betrayed by someone) on August 4, 1944. Her last diary entry was August 1, 1944.

Front of the Anne Frank House and Museum



Anne and her sister died in Bergen Belsen sometime in February or March of 1945 due to complications of typhus. Anne’s mother. Edith Frank, died in Auschwitz on January 6, 1945 due to hunger and exhaustion. Only Otto Frank, Anne’s father, survived the concentration camps, having spent his time in Auschwitz.

Fortunately for the world, this brave young woman, who died before her 16th birthday chronicled the horrors of this terrible period in our world’s history. Anne’s diaries were saved by secretaries of Otto Frank’s who had assisted the family while they were in hiding for over 2 years. In 1951, the book was initially published, and today has been translated into over 80 languages.

If you ever get a chance to see this place, you definitely do not want to miss it. It is so sad and yet so inspiring...all at the same time.

Her mission was simple:

“I hope I will be able to confide everything to you, as I have never been able to confide in anyone, and I hope you will be a great source of comfort and support.

Her writing certainly did that for the world.