Annual Report 2017
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 world
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.’
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.