Amsterdam Honours Anne Frank
One Girl, two Locations, one City
Amsterdam honours Anne Frank with two statues. One has stood since 1975 near the Westertoren and was created by sculptor Mari Andriessen. The second statue, located at Merwedeplein, was made by artist Jet Schepp and unveiled in 2005.
Anne Frank was thirteen when she went into hiding in the Secret Annex, where she lived with her parents from 6 July, 1942, to 4 August, 1944, when the family was arrested by the Grüne Polizei and Dutch officers. She died in Bergen-Belsen, likely from typhus. After the betrayal, Anne’s diary remained in the Annex. Her father, Otto Frank, the only survivor, edited the texts and published the book in 1947 in Dutch and in 1952 in English under the title The Diary of a Young Girl.
Tip: Join the Guided Anne Frank Walk
Take a guided walking tour through Amsterdam’s Jewish quarter. Hear the story of the city in World War II, see the statue of the Dockworker, the Portuguese synagogue and the Auschwitz monument. Your guide will point out places where resistance fighters found secret hideouts for families like the Frank family.
The Westermarkt Statue : Anne Frank in the heart of Amsterdam
The Location of the Monument
The 1975 statue stands near the Westerkerk, in the centre of Amsterdam, just a few metres away from the family’s hiding place, at the corner of Prinsengracht and Westermarkt. This bronze statue shows Anne Frank with her hands behind her back, looking upward, just as she appears in her diaries.
The Story behind the Artwork
The statue was unveiled by Mayor Wim Polak, himself of Jewish descent. Sculptor Mari Andriessen, who was active in the resistance during the war, intended the work to commemorate not only Anne but also all victims of the Holocaust. It stands on a small raised platform with only her name on a plaque, a deliberate, sober choice.
A Quiet Place of Remembrance
Visitors from around the world still lay flowers at this statue. School groups visiting the Anne Frank House often pause here. The place needs no explanation.
The Merwedeplein Statue: Where Anne’s Story Began
The Frank Family’s Former Home
The second statue stands in a small park across from Merwedeplein 37, the address where the Frank family lived from 1933, shortly after fleeing Germany. Anne was four years old at the time. They left this apartment on 8 July, 1942, to go into hiding at Prinsengracht, in Otto Frank’s business premises, now the Anne Frank House.
Jet Schepp’s Interpretation of Anne
Jet Schepp’s statue depicts Anne Frank on her way to the hiding place. She wears several layers of clothing, carries a bag in one hand, and a schoolbag under her arm. The artist did not want to show the iconic figure but the girl leaving the street without knowing if she would ever return. The statue was unveiled in 2005 by Mayor Job Cohen, in the presence of some of Anne’s former classmates.
The Merwedeplein Surroundings Today
A plaque at the statue reads: Anne Frank lived here from 1933 to 1942.
Nearby grows a young chestnut tree, from the same tree Anne saw from the Annex. The area feels calm; children play, residents pass by. There is nothing ceremonial about it; that is what makes it remarkable.
A Passage from Anne’s Diary for the Day They Went into Hiding
On Wednesday, 8 July, 1942, Anne wrote:
We all dressed so warmly as if we were going to spend the night in a refrigerator. I had two undershirts, three pairs of trousers, a dress, a skirt, a jacket, a summer coat, two pairs of socks, outdoor shoes, a cap, a scarf, and more. I was already suffocating at home, but no one asked about it there.
Visitors who see both statues can follow the path marking her life in Amsterdam, from Merwedeplein to Prinsengracht. It is not a long distance, but the difference between an ordinary life and life in hiding becomes tangible.
Between City and History
The two statues show how close history can be to everyday life. Among houses, bicycles, and tourists stand two bronze girls who explain nothing, glorify nothing, but simply exist. They ask for no attention; they mark what once happened, right in the middle of the city.
