Anne Frank House

About Anne Frank House

Anne Frank's family hiding place during the Nazi occupation has been preserved as a museum and education centre. The Secret Annex remains unfurnished, as Otto Frank wished.

On 6 July 1942, the Frank family — Otto, Edith, Margot and 13-year-old Anne — went into hiding in a concealed annex behind Otto Frank's spice-trading offices at Prinsengracht 263 in central Amsterdam. They were joined by the Van Pels family and Fritz Pfeffer, eight people sharing roughly 50 square metres for over two years. During this time, Anne kept her diary — now one of the most widely read books in history, translated into over 70 languages. On 4 August 1944, the hiding place was raided by the Sicherheitsdienst; all eight occupants were deported. Only Otto Frank survived the war. In 1957, facing the building's threatened demolition, Otto Frank and a group of citizens established the Anne Frank Foundation, and the museum opened on 3 May 1960. The Secret Annex itself remains deliberately unfurnished, honouring Otto Frank's wish — the bare rooms and the pencil marks recording the children's height on the wall communicate absence more powerfully than any reconstruction could. Visitors follow a prescribed route through the front building (which houses a modern exhibition using original documents, film footage and personal objects), then pass through the famous bookcase concealing the entrance to the Annex. The visit culminates in the room where Anne wrote, looking out at the chestnut tree she described in her diary (the original tree fell in 2010; a sapling grown from its seeds now stands in its place). A recently renovated section addresses contemporary themes of antisemitism, discrimination and the responsibility of bystanders. Tickets sell out weeks in advance — they are released online on a rolling basis, typically six weeks ahead. There is no walk-up availability. Visitors should allow time to absorb the experience; though the physical visit takes roughly 60–90 minutes, many find themselves lingering longer.

Notable collections

Anne Frank House is home to several collections of international significance. These holdings distinguish it from other memorial & remembrance institutions and represent the depth of its curatorial programme:

• ◆Pages from Anne Frank's original diary and notebooks
• ◆Otto Frank's personal correspondence and post-war documents
• ◆Photographs and identity documents of the eight people in hiding
• ◆Short films including the only known footage of Anne Frank (1941)
• ◆Original Opekta and Pectacon company documents from the front offices

Why Anne Frank House ranks #36

Our editorial ranking blends data from TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice awards, AECOM/TEA annual attendance figures, and coverage in leading travel publications including Condé Nast Traveler, Time Out, National Geographic and The Times. Ranking at #36, Anne Frank House is one of the fifty most acclaimed museums on our composite index — a destination that serious museum-goers and casual visitors alike should have on their list. Key recognitions include: TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice.

Must-see highlights

With a recommended visit time of 1.5 hours, planning your route through Anne Frank House is essential. Here are the standout works and spaces that should be at the top of your list:

• ◆The Secret Annex
• ◆Original diary pages on display
• ◆Bookcase entrance
• ◆Otto Frank's office
• ◆Renewed multimedia exhibition
• ◆Anne's room with original wall decorations
• ◆Documentary film with Otto Frank testimony

Recognition & awards

Anne Frank House has received recognition from multiple authoritative sources in the museum and travel industry:

Planning your visit

History of Anne Frank House

Anne Frank House was established in 1960, and has since built a reputation over 6 decades of service to the public. Today, Anne Frank House stands as a defining institution of Amsterdam's cultural identity. With 1,300,000 annual visitors, it plays a vital role in Netherlands's cultural tourism economy and stands as one of the most important memorial & remembrance museums in the Europe region.

Other top memorial & remembrance museums

If you enjoy memorial & remembrance museums like Anne Frank House, you may also want to explore these highly-ranked institutions in the same category:

• #33Yad VashemJerusalem, Israel
• #34Memorial and Museum Auschwitz-BirkenauOświęcim, Poland
• #35United States Holocaust Memorial MuseumWashington, United States
• #399/11 Memorial & MuseumNew York, United States
• #40Hiroshima Peace Memorial MuseumHiroshima, Japan

More museums in Amsterdam

Amsterdam is home to 4 museums on our editorial ranking. If you are visiting the city, consider combining your trip to Anne Frank House with these nearby institutions:

• #8Rijksmuseum🖼️ Art & Encyclopedic
• #21Van Gogh Museum🎭 Artist & Single-Subject
• #79Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam🎨 Modern & Contemporary

Top museums across Netherlands

Beyond Amsterdam, Netherlands is home to world-class museums in other cities. If you are planning a wider trip, these are among the highest-ranked:

• #59MauritshuisThe Hague
• #98Naturalis Biodiversity CenterLeiden
• #182Rijksmuseum TwentheEnschede
• #183Kröller-Müller MuseumOtterlo
• #184Boijmans Van BeuningenRotterdam
• #185Frans Hals MuseumHaarlem

Frequently asked questions