Anne Frank’s story remains one of the most powerful personal testimonies of the Holocaust. Born in 1929 in Frankfurt, Anne spent her early childhood in a Germany that was rapidly falling under Nazi rule. When persecution of Jews intensified, Otto Frank moved his family to Amsterdam, believing they would be safer there. But safety proved temporary. In May 1940, the German Army invaded the Netherlands, and anti-Jewish measures quickly tightened around every aspect of daily life. In July 1942, after receiving a notice ordering Margot Frank to report for a so-called “labor camp,” the family went into hiding inside the Secret Annex at Prinsengracht 263. For more than two years, Anne, her parents, her sister, and four others lived in cramped rooms above Otto Frank’s business, relying on a small group of loyal helpers for food, news, and hope. During this time, Anne wrote her now-famous diary, capturing her fears, dreams, and reflections with astonishing insight for a girl of her age. On 4 August 1944, the hiding place was betrayed. The occupants were arrested and deported—first to Westerbork, then to Auschwitz. Anne and Margot, Anne Frank's sister, were later transported to Bergen-Belsen, where both died in early 1945 from disease and starvation. Only Otto Frank survived the camps. After the war, he fulfilled his daughter’s wish to become a writer by publishing her diary, ensuring her voice would reach millions around the world. <br /><br />#history #ww2 #holocaust
