Is Anne Frank’s Secret Annex haunted?

For OpstapmetLisa, we are always looking for special places and locations. But did you know that even the most touristy locations can have a special or maybe even dark side? Take the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, for example.

The ghost of Anne Frank?

Everyone knows the tragic story of Anne Frank, both Dutch and people from outside our borders. Anne Frank is hugely popular. Just go to the Anne Frank Museum. If you don’t reserve tickets in advance you will end up in a huge line. Anne Frank is hot! But whether her back home is all that fluffy?

World War II

Just another bit of history to refresh your memory. The Netherlands was attacked by Germany on May 10, 1940, but the actual war began on Sept. 1, 1939, when Germany invaded Poland. For a long time, life for the non-combatant group of Dutch people went on as usual.

The group of people who did suffer persecution soon noticed the influence of the occupying forces. Especially the large group of Jews in the Netherlands. For example, Jewish civil servants were fired en masse in October 1940 and forbidden to go to theaters and cinemas in January 1941.

Slowly the number of “For Jews Prohibited“ signs grew and life became more and more barbaric for this group in the Netherlands.

No longer safe

Many Jews felt unsafe. Roundups were organized, initially intended to instill fear. But soon things went from bad to worse. From early 1942, the first unemployed Jewish men were deported to labor camps.

Soon the realization dawned that few would return. More and more families tried to keep themselves safe by going into hiding. Often helped by people from the Resistance. This is also how the Frank family found a hiding place.

The Frank family

The Frank family consisted of father Otto Frank, mother Edith Frank, sister Margot Frank and Anne and originally came from Germany. They decided to move to Amsterdam in 1933 because the Nazi influence was already being felt by then. They thought they were safe here. Unfortunately, the feeling of safety was only short-lived. The Frank family stayed in the Secret Annex from July 6, 1942 to August 4, 1944. They were not the only Jewish family in the house.

By all accounts, the family was betrayed, although the identity of the betrayer has still not been determined. Perhaps they were discovered by accident. Otto was deported to the Auschwitz death camp while Edith, Margot and Anne were deported to the Birkenau women’s camp. Only Otto could live to tell the tale. Thanks to the discovery of Anne’s diary by Miep Gies, the woman who sent the family into hiding, the story of Anne and her family can live on.

Is the Anne Frank House haunted?

Although there were no victims in the Anne Frank House itself, many believe it is haunted. Events from the past often linger in a place. You see this more often in places with a rich history. There would be “cold spots” in the house. In those spots, the temperature suddenly drops without any logical explanation. There are also people who have seen the ghost of a little girl there.

There are also several people who claim to have heard a sound on the stairs that resembles marbles falling. When they then go to look, there is nothing to see. According to the stories, a bag of beans did break and roll down the stairs. So that sound can still be heard.

Visiting the Anne Frank House

Fair is fair, even without ghosts, this house is more than worth the visit. If only to experience what it was like to be locked in a small space for two years because life outside was not safe.

Without ghosts, it already gives me the shivers.

Opening hours, prices and tips

The Anne Frank House is open daily from April through October from 9:00 am to 10:00 pm and from November through March from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm. Note that the line closes earlier, so don’t go too late.

If you want to go between 9:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., you must have an online ticket. After that, you can join the (usually hefty) line. Prices for adults are €10.50 per ticket, for children ages 10 to 17 €5.50 and children ages 0 to 9 pay €0.50. For more information and tickets, visit the website.

You can find The Anne Frank House in the center of Amsterdam at Prinsengracht 263-267. From Central Station it’s about a 20-minute walk to the museum. Streetcars 13, 14 and 17 and buses 170, 172 and 174 stop nearby, at the ‘Westermarkt’ stop. The entrance to the museum is around the corner from the Prinsengracht, at 20 Westermarkt.

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