Anne Frank House
Annual Report 2017
The Anne Frank House is an independent organisation dedicated to the preservation of the place where
Anne Frank went into hiding during the Second World War, and to bringing the life story of Anne Frank to
the attention of as many people as possible worldwide with the aim of raising awareness of the dangers of
anti-Semitism, racism and discrimination and the importance of freedom, equal rights and democracy.
The complete report: www.annefrank.org/annualreport2017
2 Annual Report 2017
Foreword
In March 2017 we started the renewal of the Anne Frank House museum. Many of our visitors are
under 25 years old and come from countries outside of Europe, so it is important to give more in-depth
information on the historical context and the background of the life story of Anne Frank in the museum.
Besides this renewal, the museum is also gaining more space for educational groups and visitor facilities,
and a new entrance area. Renewal and rebuilding are not always easy if you want to keep the museum
open at the same time. We are grateful to the designers and contractors for their work, and to our
neighbours, employees and visitors for their understanding. By mid-2018 all the work will be completed
and we will be ready for a new generation of visitors.
We have made good progress with our new digital strategy, which will also be finalised by mid-2018.
In this way too we aim to introduce as many people as possible to the life story of Anne Frank and the
history of her times, and encourage them to reflect on the meaning of her life story for the world today.
Anne Frank featured in the news many times in 2017. From football fans who used her photo for an
antisemitic provocation of their opponents to the German railway company that wanted to name a
train after her. Seventy years after the publication of her diary, the significance of Anne Frank seems
only to increase. She exerts ever more attraction on those who are in search of a symbol: often with
good intentions and taking an educational form, sometimes rather unfortunate, regularly in bad taste,
occasionally downright antisemitic.
What does this mean for the future? First of all, we must continue to ensure that we provide a
historically reliable, authentic and accessible presentation of the life story of Anne Frank in the context
of the persecution of the Jews and the Holocaust. This can help to prevent the fading away of history
gradually gaining the upper hand. Secondly, it would be wise to not too hastily condemn contemporary
expressions that refer to Anne Frank. They can form an effective stimulus to reflection on the present-
day meaning of her history.
It was with sadness that on 6 October 2017 we learned of the death of Eberhard van der Laan, mayor of
Amsterdam. He made - also in the awareness of what happened in the wartime years - the city a finer,
more open-hearted and more human place. “Take good care of our city and of each other”, were his
parting words. Let us continue to commit ourselves to this endeavour.
We warmly thank you for your involvement in and support of the activities of the Anne Frank House,
last year and in the year to come.
Ronald Leopold
executive director
Amsterdam, May 2018
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Organisation
The Anne Frank House organisation is dedicated to the preservation of the Anne Frank House
and the Anne Frank collection, and is also an educational organisation. A key chapter of the
personal history of Anne Frank was played out in the Anne Frank House.
Organisation
The Anne Frank House was established on 3 May 1957 with the close involvement of Anne’s father,
Otto Frank, with the aim of preserving and opening to the public the place where Anne Frank went
into hiding, and bringing the life story of Anne Frank to the attention of as many people as possible
worldwide.
Mission of the Anne Frank House
The Anne Frank House is an independent, non-profit organisation dedicated to the preservation of the
place where Anne Frank went into hiding and wrote her diary during the Second World War, and to
bringing the life story of Anne Frank to the attention of as many people as possible worldwide with the
aim of raising awareness of the dangers of antisemitism, racism and discrimination and the importance
of freedom, equal rights and democracy.
We can no longer change what has
happened. The only thing we can do is
to learn from the past, and realise what
discrimination and persecution mean
for innocent people.
Otto Frank, 1970
Key issues in 2017
2017 was largely characterised by the renewal of the museum and the digital landscape. These were
major projects for which many resources and people were deployed.
We can see that general knowledge of the Second World War and the Holocaust among young people
is declining but also that the interest in this history remains undiminished, also among young people.
So both in our museum and our educational materials we aim to have a greater focus on the historical
background of the life story of Anne Frank. Knowledge of this background is also needed to understand
the relevance of this history for the world today.
In combating antisemitism the accent in 2017 will be on the development of the online tool against
antisemitism and other forms of discrimination. We are also seeking partnership with the sports world in
combating antisemitism and discrimination.
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Management and organisation
Our directors are responsible for the management of the Anne Frank House. They are appointed by the
Supervisory Board.
Supervision and advice
The Supervisory Board monitors the policy of the directors and supports them with advice. The Advisory
Board advises the Supervisory Board on issues that are decisive for the identity of the Anne Frank House.
On 1 January Mr. E. Hirsch Ballin took over the chairpersonship from Mr. W. Kok. Kok was chairperson
of the Supervisory Board for twelve years, the maximum term of office. The Anne Frank House thanks
him for his involvement and commitment throughout these years.
For the countless mainly young visitors
to the Anne Frank House this is not
only a place of remembrance. As I have
experienced myself, it is a place that
makes you reflect on your own life and
the tasks that face us.
E. Hirsch Ballin,
Chair Supervisory Board
Partners
The Anne Frank House works together with partner organisations in Argentina, Austria, Germany,
the UK and the USA. They organise international Anne Frank exhibitions and associated educational
activities in their countries.
Remuneration policy
The Anne Frank House operates its own employment conditions package, and in principle adheres
to the salary structure of the collective labour agreement for the museums sector. The directors are
remunerated within the framework of the Cultural Governance Code. The positions on the Supervisory
Board and the Advisory Board are unpaid.
Employee council
The employee council represents the interests of the organisation and the employees of the Anne Frank
House, and takes part in discussions on proposed organisational developments. In 2017 the employee
council dealt with nine requests for approval and three requests for advice.
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Finance
The Anne Frank House does not receive any government subsidies for the museum, and is mainly
dependent on museum visits for its income.
For the financing of major initiatives concerning the museum and for educational projects in the
Netherlands and abroad the Anne Frank House depends on the support of charitable funds, individual
donors and grant-giving bodies such as the European Union and the Dutch government.
Project support
— The BPD Cultural Fund made a donation of €50,000 for the new diary room and the
innovative diary display cases.
— As the owner of the manuscripts of Anne Frank, the Ministry of Education, Culture
and Science also made a contribution to the new diary display cases.
— The Mondriaan Fund financed the new public presentation of the manuscripts
of Anne Frank in the museum, and supported the development of new security
procedures in connection with the renewal of the museum.
— The German Foundation for Remembrance, Responsibility and the Future supported
the development of the European online learning tool on antisemitism and
discrimination against Roma and Sinti, Muslims and LGBT people.
— Through its Erasmus+ programme the European Commission also supported the
development of the online learning tool for teachers to open up antisemitism and
other forms of discrimination for discussion in the classroom.
— The Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport supported the development of educational
projects in the Netherlands and enabled a representative of the Anne Frank House to
take part in the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA).
BankGiro Lottery
The Anne Frank House has been a beneficiary of the BankGiro Lottery, which funds cultural projects
in the Netherlands, since 2007. We receive an annual donation of € 200,000. In 2017 we received an
additional € 33,728 thanks to the BankGiro Lottery participants who stated that they wished to play for
the benefit of the Anne Frank House.
In 2017 the renewal of the museum was started thanks to the earlier additional contribution of € 910,000
by the BankGiro Lottery.
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Museum
In the museum, in our publications and in our (online) exhibitions we present the life story of
Anne Frank in the context of the history of the Holocaust and the Second World War.
Museum visits
The Anne Frank House is the place where the life story of Anne Frank is presented in the most authentic
and reliable way. Every year we receive over 1.2 million visitors from all around the world.
The Anne Frank House welcomed 1,266,966 visitors in 2017, a high number in view of the renewal work
in the museum.
Audio tour
A new feature of the museum is an audio tour. The free audio tour is one element of the renewal of the
museum, allowing us to offer visitors more historical context and in-depth information, giving them a
better understanding of the life story of Anne Frank and an enhanced experience of the hiding place.
The tour is available in nine languages: Dutch, English, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese,
Portuguese and Spanish. Visitors are totally absorbed as they listen; it is silent in the museum...
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Educational programmes
Many school groups from the Netherlands and abroad visit the Anne Frank House. Over 1,100 groups
from primary and secondary schools, trainee teachers and vocational students followed educational
programmes in Dutch, English or German.
Argentinean state visit
On 27 March the Anne Frank House and Queen Máxima welcomed the Argentinean president Mauricio
Macri and his wife Juliana Awada.
The message of Anne Frank is one of
hope in the midst of darkness. Anne
Frank’s father was able to transform his
enormous pain into a vision, committing
the world to the struggle for human
rights. ‘Think of all the beauty around
you and be happy’, Anne Frank wrote.
With affection and respect.
Mauricio Macri, 27 March 2017
Museum night
The first Saturday of November is the annual Amsterdam Museum Night, and the Anne Frank House once
again took part. The museum was open until the early hours of the morning with a special programme.
Museum staff gave additional information on the history of the Secret Annexe and the period in hiding at
various points on the museum route, and answered visitors’ questions.
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CJP card
Young people with a CJP card could sign up for a special reception in the Anne Frank House on 8
December. Around 150 passholders took this opportunity and came with a guest for an introductory
programme on Anne Frank and the educational mission of the Anne Frank House, followed by a visit to
the museum.
Malala
The Pakistani children’s rights activist and Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzai visited our museum in
December.
I heard about Anne Frank when I was
11-years-old and writing my diary
about life under terrorism where girls’
education was banned. Anne Frank’s
story inspired me to believe in my words
and voice to change the world. I am
honoured and fortunate to have the
opportunity to visit Anne Frank’s House.
Malala Yousafzai, 2 December 2017
Refugees
In January and February a group of Syrian refugees from the Syrian Volunteers in the Netherlands
Network visited the Anne Frank House, where they were welcomed by young people from our Youth
Team. The visit and the introduction before the tour of the museum made a deep impression. In May
we welcomed a group of refugees from a variety of backgrounds who were following language lessons
at the refugee initiative More than Les. And in October students with a refugee background from
Right2Education at Amsterdam College visited the museum for an educational programme.
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Collection
Many personal documents and belongings of the Frank family, the other people in hiding and the helpers
have been preserved. These objects form a part of the museum collection of the Anne Frank House.
Friendship book
The Anne Frank House has acquired a special album: a poëziealbum (a friendship book filled with verses
and inspirational quotations from friends and family) with a handwritten verse by Anne Frank. Anne
wrote the verse when she was 11 years old in the album of a classmate at the Montessori school. This
classmate, now aged 88, wanted to donate the album to the Anne Frank House so the verse could be
shared with a wide audience. The verse reveals a girl who goes to school, is sociable and has fun. The
occupying Nazis had not yet shown their true face. The Anne Frank House was able to acquire the album
with the financial support of the BankGiro Lottery and the Mondriaan Fund.
Merwedeplein
The Anne Frank House is the new owner of Anne Frank’s former home on the Merwedeplein square
in Amsterdam. Its purpose remains the same: the apartment provides accommodation to writers from
abroad who cannot work in freedom in their own countries. The Frank family lived in the apartment
at Merwedeplein 37 II from December 1933 to July 1942. It was there that Anne first wrote in the diary
she was given for her thirteenth birthday, on 12 June 1942. Three weeks later the Frank family went into
hiding.
We find it important that Anne Frank’s
former home is preserved and well
managed. The apartment is inextricably
linked with the legacy for which the
Anne Frank House is responsible: the
hiding place on the Prinsengracht and
the original manuscripts of Anne Frank.
Ronald Leopold, executive director
Anne Frank House
Eva
88-year-old Eva Schloss received 13-year-old pupils from the Amsterdams Lyceum in Anne Frank’s former
home on the 88th anniversary of Anne’s birth. As a child Eva also lived on the Merwedeplein square,
and went to the Amsterdams Lyceum. Later, after the war, Eva’s mother married Anne’s father. Otto
Frank became Eva’s stepfather. Eva told the pupils about her childhood. She also spoke of her time spent
in hiding, her deportation to Auschwitz and the loss of her father and brother. At a pupil’s request she
showed the number tattooed on her arm. The pupils were deeply moved by Eva’s story.
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Publications
In our publications we present the life story of Anne Frank in the context of the Holocaust and the
Second World War.
New book: ‘All about Anne’
The book ‘All about Anne’, for children from ten years old, was published in March. The book tells the
life story of Anne Frank, and is the first book on the subject based on what children themselves want to
know. The Anne Frank House collected all kinds of questions that children have about Anne Frank, the
Holocaust and the Second World War. As well as photos the book contains illustrations by Huck Scarry.
Prize for ‘Anne Frank / dreaming, thinking, writing’
The Best Dutch Book Designs Foundation selected the book ‘Anne Frank / dreaming, thinking, writing’
as one of the 33 best-designed Dutch books from more than 300 entrants. The book gives a detailed
impression of Anne’s life, and shows how she changed from a girl who dreamed of a career in Hollywood
into a serious writer with a sharp pen.
Online
The Anne Frank House is active online and accessible worldwide via websites, apps and social media.
Number of unique visitors to our websites in 2017.
New digital strategy
The online environment has been completely transformed, and the possibilities of online communication
have increased enormously. The use of mobile phones and tablets has grown exponentially, as has the
number of online transactions. To be of greater service to our visitors when buying an online ticket or
booking an introductory programme we are improving the infrastructure of our website, annefrank.org.
In 2017 we continued to work on the content of a totally new website, which will go live in 2018.
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Bot for Messenger
On 21 March, the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, Prince Constantijn of
the Netherlands, a StartupDelta special envoy, launched the Anne Frank House bot for Messenger. The
bot provides information on the life story of Anne Frank as well as practical visitor information on the
Anne Frank House. People from all over the world can receive instant answers to their questions in a
personalised chat conversation. The Anne Frank House bot makes use of artificial intelligence and is
self-learning, so it becomes increasingly smart, as it were, and can answer people’s questions better and
better. The bot is presented in English.
The Anne Frank House is one of the first museums in the world to develop a bot for Messenger, in
partnership with Facebook Netherlands.
Worldwide
Through the annefrank.org portal and its social media channels the Anne Frank House reaches an
audience of millions of people worldwide.
Number of followers of our social media channels in 2017.
Anne Frank and her diary
On 12 June 2017 it was exactly 75 years ago that Anne Frank was given her first diary, with its red
checked cover, for her thirteenth birthday. And it was 70 years ago that Otto Frank published his
daughter Anne’s diary, ‘The Secret Annexe’. Since then the diary has been translated into over 70
languages. How did a young girl’s diary become one of the most widely read books on the Holocaust?
And why is the book still so important and inspirational today? On the new website diary.annefrank.org
visitors can discover the story behind the diary of Anne Frank in Dutch and English.
#Diary75
With the social media campaign #Diary75 we asked our followers what Anne Frank’s diary means to
them. Many people took part in the campaign, including famous figures such as Dutch Prime Minister
Marc Rutte, children’s rights activist Malala Yousafzai and the actors Jamie Lee Curtis and Whoopi
Goldberg. Over a hundred thousand people saw, shared and ‘liked’ the posts via our accounts on Twitter,
Facebook and Instagram.
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Museum renewal
The Anne Frank House is being renewed to prepare it for a new generation of visitors. Museum visitors
are now offered more historical context and in-depth information, giving them a better understanding of
the life story of Anne Frank and an enhanced experience of the hiding place. The modifications leave the
authentic character of the house intact.
More space
As well of the renewal of the museum more space will be created for educational groups and visitor
facilities, and the museum will be given a new entrance area. The Anne Frank House will remain open
while the work is carried out.
We’ll be giving more information on
what happened during the Second
World War and the Holocaust, how it
could happen, and what this means
for us today. We’ll also go deeper into
the history of the time spent in hiding
and the key figures in the house. But
of course we will retain the authentic
character of the house: experience and
meaning will always be our priorities.
Ronald Leopold, Executive director
Renowned exhibition designer Dagmar Von Wilcken was responsible for the concept development and
the design of the museum route, and Bierman Henket Architects for the new entrance. Bruns BV and
Salverda Bouw BV are carrying out the construction work.
The renewal of the Anne Frank House has been made possible thanks to additional BankGiro Lottery
funding.
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Education
The Anne Frank House develops and distributes educational programmes and materials for
young people, teachers and other intermediaries, with the aim of encouraging young people to
reflect on discrimination, racism and antisemitism in the present and the past.
Youth Team
Every year the Anne Frank House brings together a Youth Team, made up of young people aged 16 to 20.
The young people are given a training programme in which they learn about the history of Anne
Frank, the Second World War and the Holocaust, and how prejudice, stereotypes, discrimination and
antisemitism work. They work on these themes in workshops and develop their own projects for their
classmates or other peers in their communities. Together they reflect on events in the past and engage
in discussions on exclusion, stigmatisation and discrimination today. The young people show enormous
involvement, commitment and creativity.
14 young people followed the training programme in 2017, and reached a total of 600 of their peers with
their own projects.
I want to take a personal stand against
prejudice and discrimination because
I was bullied for many years and I’m all
too familiar with prejudice. I hope that
with this project I can make a difference
for other young people who are in the
same situation. I came out of it stronger
than ever, and I want to pass that on
to other young people and show them
that they don’t have to be afraid to be
themselves.
Youth Team member, 19 years old
Youth Team Alumni
As well as the 14 young people who took part in the Youth Team, 16 alumni (participants from previous
years) were active for the Anne Frank House. Some acted as mentors for the current Youth Team, others
organised museum visits and educational programmes for classmates, colleagues or asylum seekers/
residence permit holders. Alumni also helped with the organisation of training programmes for police
officers and seminars for teachers.
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For teachers and professionals
The Anne Frank House organises workshops, training programmes and meetings for teachers and trainee
teachers in the Netherlands and abroad. We also support professionals who play a role in promoting
equal treatment and safeguarding human rights.
Number of workshops and training courses in the Netherlands in 2017.
Partner schools
The Anne Frank House has started a partner schools project, and works with a number of schools in a
long-term relationship centred on the themes of prejudice and discussion. One of these schools is the
Calvijn College in Amsterdam Nieuw-West.
The Calvijn College wanted to initially
tackle the subject with teachers.
We started with a study morning on
how prejudice and stereotypes work.
In workshops we explored the ways
in which prejudice can play a role
in your own attitudes and how you
can consciously deal with them as a
teacher.”
Jolanda Hogewind,
director Calvijn College
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Meeting for police
Discrimination manifests itself in many ways, and is an age-old phenomenon. Combating discrimination
in society calls for constant vigilance. This requires an active approach, also from professionals such as
the police. What are the possibilities to tackle discrimination? And what is the role of the police in this?
In 2017 these themes formed the basis for eleven training programmes and study days that we organised
especially for police officers.
Autumn lectures
‘Dealing with discrimination: from theory to practice!’ is a series of three autumn lectures organised
by the Anne Frank House for a range of professionals: teachers, youth workers, teacher trainers, police
employees and government personnel.
— On 12 October Prof. Jelle Jolles (VU University Amsterdam) explained the
possibilities and impossibilities of the adolescent brain.
— On 19 October Dr Jelle van Buuren (Leiden University) gave a lecture on conspiracy
theories.
— And on 26 October Dr Peter Burger (Leiden University) clarified the working of ‘fake
news’.
A total of 75 professionals attended the lectures. After each lecture they shared experiences and insights
with each other.
Educational programmes, products and research
The Anne Frank House develops educational programmes and products based on the life story of Anne
Frank with the aim of encouraging young people to reflect on the relationship between the social
developments and the past and the present.
Anne Frank Journal
Many primary schools order the Anne Frank Journal for their 7th and 8th grades every year. In 2017
schools ordered a total of 97,500 copies.
Digital lesson
On the occasion of ‘Diary 75 years’we develop a digital lesson about Anne’s diary for pupils age 11/ 12 years.
The link between the past and the
present is very important: we can take
lessons from the past for the present.
It’s still going on now and it’s never
finished.”
Hans Hannessen, 8th grade teacher
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Theatre for pre-vocational secondary education
In the interactive theatre production Back to Back by DEGASTEN Theatre Company nine young actors
showed school students that, despite diverse stories and backgrounds, we are all connected with each
other; perhaps more than you thought. They gave students the opportunity to reflect on questions such
as what your story is, where you come from, what stories you hear at home and what history you learn at
school. The production was created in partnership with the Anne Frank House.
Also outside the Anne Frank House we manage to reach many pupils in the Netherlands.
Training for youth workers
Four workshops were held for students and young people. The students were from the Amsterdam
and Rotterdam Universities of Applied Sciences, and the young people from the Combiwel Amsterdam,
Boyz2Men Zaandam and Steetpro Amsterdam projects. The workshops focused on the young people’s
own attitudes towards their professional development. The explanation of the story of Anne Frank and
the history of the Second World War showed where extreme prejudice and discrimination can lead. The
connection with their own education meant the students experienced the workshops as relevant and
could apply what they had learned in practice.
It was sometimes emotional, but I think
that’s also necessary for the process of
raising awareness. The programme was
varied, the actors were involved and
full of energy, there was something of
everything!
Piotr Reedijk, Zuiderzee College Zaandam
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Fan coach project
In recent years the Anne Frank House has set up an educational project on football chants with
Feyenoord and FC Utrecht. Both football clubs aim to raise their younger supporters’ awareness, in an
educational way, of the abusive, antisemitic chants inside and outside the football stadiums.
This is done by means of local tours in which supporters visit various locations and monuments in their
city and get to know Jewish supporters of their own clubs. For example Feyenoord supporters met Oma
(‘Grandma’) Miep, a Holocaust survivor and Feyenoord fan, who told her life story and moved the supporters
with her love for the club; their club. It is a long-term project, but the experiences so far are positive.
On 16 November the Anne Frank House shared the experiences with other Dutch football clubs,
including AZ Alkmaar. Soon afterwards the Alkmaar club also started a partnership with the Anne Frank
House for its own project.
Research into antisemitism and discrimination
Commissioned by and in partnership with the Anne Frank House, the Verwey-Jonker Institute
researches complaints filed with the police regarding incidents involving racism, antisemitism and
right-wing extremist violence in the Netherlands. The ‘Sixth report on racism, antisemitism and right-
wing extremist violence in the Netherlands’, which was published in December, covers 4,038 incidents
in 2016. We use the outcomes of the research in the development of new educational products and
projects.
Travelling exhibitions
The international travelling exhibition ‘Anne Frank – a history for today’ has been displayed in over 3,500
locations in 77 countries since 1996. The exhibition ‘Let me be myself’ has been travelling around the
world since 2015.
Anne Frank exhibitions in 2017.
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UNESCO
Between 30 October and 4 November the travelling exhibition ‘Let me be myself’ could be seen at the
UNESCO headquarters in Paris during the organisation’s annual meeting. The Ministers of Education of
the 195 member states of UNESCO take part in this meeting, known as the General Conference. This
was the first time that a substantive exhibition had been displayed during the General Conference. The
UNESCO secretariat chose the Anne Frank exhibition ‘Let me be myself’ to underscore its ‘preventing
violent extremism’ programme.
Shanghai
In January the exhibition ‘Anne Frank – a history for today’ opened in the Shanghai Jewish Refugees
Museum in China. This museum tells the story of the almost 20,000 European Jews who sought
refuge in Shanghai during the Second World War. The placement of the exhibition was made
possible by the Dutch consulate in Shanghai.
