Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ANNE FRANK
HOUSE TOUR
On May 10, 1940, Germany's Luftwaffe began bombing Schiphol
Airport, preparing to invade the Netherlands. The Dutch army
fought back, and the Nazis responded by leveling Rotterdam.
Within a week, the Netherlands surrendered, Queen Wilhelmina
fled to Britain, and Nazi soldiers goose-stepped past the Westerkerk
and into Dam Square, where they draped huge swastikas on the
Royal Palace. A five-year occupation began. The Netherlands had
been neutral in World War I, and Amsterdam—progressive and
modern, but a bit naive—was in for a rude shock.
The Anne Frank House immerses you, in a very immediate
way, in the struggles and pains of the war years. Walk through
rooms where, for two years, eight Amsterdam Jews hid from Nazi
persecution. Though they were eventually discovered, and seven of
the eight died in concentration camps, their story has an uplifting
twist—the diary of Anne Frank, which bolsters the human spirit,
affirming it cannot be crushed.
ORIENTATION
Cost:
€8.50. (The Anne Frank House is not covered by any sight-
seeing pass.)
Hours:
Daily March 15-Sept 14 9:00-21:00, July-Aug until
22:00, Sept 15-March 14 9:00-19:00, last entry 30 min
before closing.
Avoiding Lines:
The Anne Frank House is plagued by long
lines—especially in the daytime during the summer. You can
sometimes avoid the wait by arriving after 18:00 (last entry
July-Aug is 21:30), or—the more foolproof option—buy
a ticket online ahead of time (€0.50/ticket fee, www.anne
frank.org; you can also buy tickets at Amsterdam's TIs, but