Kassandra Radomski - Anne Frank: Get to Know the Girl Beyond Her Diary

More than 8.5 million soldiers around the world fought and died during World War I. Even more civilians were killed. It is one of the deadliest wars ever fought.

The Franks moved to Amsterdam in the Netherlands in 1933. The next year, Anne started school. She was smart and funny. Long before the family went into hiding, she told a teacher she wanted to be a writer.

Anne (center) at school in Amsterdam in 1937

Otto and Edith had hoped the Netherlands would stay out of the war. But the Nazis power continued to reach across Europe.

On September 1, 1939, Germany Edith wrote to a friend.

Nearly 80 pages of records showing Ottos attempts to escape the Netherlands were discovered in 2007.

Anti-Jewish laws had already been passed in Germany. After being Otto was no longer allowed to own a business. Jewish people had to wear a yellow star when they went outside.

a sign reading Forbidden for Jews in the Netherlands, early 1940s

The Franks decided hiding was the only way they could survive. Otto and his business partner, Hermann van Pels, who was also Jewish, began working on a hidden apartment. There would be enough room for both families.

The Second World War Begins

Germanys invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939, started World War II. Great Britain and France declared war on Germany two days later. By mid1941, Germany had invaded and conquered Denmark, Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Yugoslavia, and Greece.

3

THE SECRET ANNEX

From the street, Ottos warehouse looked like a single house. In reality, it was two connected houses. The second house, where the secret apartment was, could not be seen from the street.

The first two floors of the building contained offices and a large warehouse. On the third floor was a short hallway that Victor Kugler, one of Ottos managers, used as an office. That office contained the only way to get into the back building, which Anne called the Annex.

A model house showing the warehouse and secret apartment. The Annex is on the right side. The office with the entrance to the Annex is the small brown room in the center.

The Helpers

The five people who helped the Franks hide were Miep Gies, her husband Jan, Bep Voskuijl, Johannes Kleiman, and Victor Kugler. Anne called them the Helpers. They made sure the people hiding in the Annex had clothes, food, books, and news of the outside world. Although it was dangerous, they all immediately agreed to help. Jan, Jo, and Victor took over Ottos companies, allowing them to stay in business. Without the Helpers, hiding in the Annex would have been impossible.

Front row: Miep Gies, Otto Frank, and Bep Voskuijl. Back row: Johannes Kleiman and Victor Kugler.

DID YOU KNOW?

Bep Voskuijls father, Johannes, was the warehouse manager. He built the bookcase to hide the secret door in August 1942.

The first floor of the Annex had been divided into two bedrooms that were shared by the Franks. There was also a small bathroom with a sink and toilet. The second floor of the Annex contained a kitchen that also served as a living room, study space, and bedroom. There was also a tiny bedroom at the foot of the stairs. The top floor was an attic space for storing food.

A week after the Franks arrival, the van Pels family joined them. Hermann and Auguste slept in the kitchen space, while their 16-year-old son, Peter, slept under the stairs.