israel.re

Anne Frank: family, hiding and a diary read worldwide

Anne Frank: family, hiding and a diary read worldwide
Illustration — not a historical photograph.

Childhood and emigration

Anne Frank was born in Frankfurt am Main on 12 June 1929, to Otto and Edith Frank. Her older sister Margot had been born in 1926. After the Nazis came to power, the family moved to Amsterdam, hoping for safety and normal life. Anne learned Dutch quickly, made friends and attended school. Nazi Germany’s occupation of the Netherlands in 1940 transformed that world.

The Secret Annex and her writing

On 6 July 1942 the Frank family went into hiding in the annex behind Otto’s business premises at Prinsengracht 263. They were later joined by the Van Pels family and Fritz Pfeffer. Anne had received a diary for her thirteenth birthday. In hiding she wrote about daily tensions, ambitions, fear and the hope of becoming a writer. Her work is not only historical evidence but a young person’s developing literary voice.

Arrest, deportation and death

The people hiding in the annex were discovered on 4 August 1944. After imprisonment and deportation, Anne and Margot were transferred to Bergen-Belsen, where both died in early 1945. Their mother Edith died in Auschwitz. Otto Frank was the only one of the immediate family to survive. Miep Gies preserved Anne’s writings, which Otto eventually arranged for publication.

Photography and memory

Authentic photographs of Anne, the family and the house are preserved by the Anne Frank House and archives. This article links to verified photo records rather than presenting new AI art as documentary photography. Prinsengracht 263 is now a museum. The diary has been translated widely, prompting readers to reflect on antisemitism, persecution, civil courage and the limits of human freedom.

Authentic photographs and image sources

Sources and further reading

endehefrruyinl

Updated: October 2026

Archival photographs and the Anne Frank House

www.nli.org.il