The former prisoners just wanted to go home as soon as possible. That wasn’t easy, though. Firstly, because many survivors were so weakened that they could not make the trip, and secondly, because large parts of Europe, including the Netherlands, were still occupied by Germany. Nevertheless, on 5 March 1945, Otto Frank and many other Dutch survivors began their long and uncertain journey home. They received Polish travel documents and were taken to Nowy Bieruń in trucks. There, they were left to their own devices.

Otto’s Polish document from the Municipality of Auschwitz

A long and uncertain journey

Out of the eight people from the Secret Annex, Otto Frank, Anne Frank’s father, was the only one to survive the Holocaust. This is the story of his return from the Auschwitz concentration camp to Amsterdam. This reconstruction is based on Otto’s notes and other testimonies and documents. Click through the slides for the story and on the markers for more information.

Bevrijding Otto Frank

Otto Frank herstelt in ziekenzaal

The liberation of Auschwitz

Terugreis Otto Frank: Katowice

Overlijden Edith Frank

A school in Katowice

A sad encounter

Edith's death

Terugreis Otto Frank: Tsjernivtsi

A warm reception in Chernivtsi

Terugreis Otto Frank: Odessa

Weeks of waiting in Odessa

A protest telegram

Aboard the ‘Monowai’

Terugreis Otto Frank: met de Monowai naar Marseille

Terugreis Otto Frank: Roermond en Arnhem

The national anthem in Marseilles

Terugreis Otto Frank: terug in Amsterdam

Otto Frank woont in bij Jan en Miep Gies

Otto Frank verhuist samen met Jan en Miep Gies

Back in Amsterdam

The deaths of Anne and Margot

Anne’s writings

Otto Frank tussen de helpers, Amsterdam, augustus 1945.

The return of Otto Frank