The Anne Frank House itself is a reminder of what can happen when democracy and the rule of law disappear.
Voting at the Anne Frank House
June 3, 2024 — The European elections will take place this coming Thursday, 6 June 2024. On that day, the Anne Frank House will serve as one of the polling stations, just as it did during the national elections on 22 November 2023. Amsterdam residents can vote from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the polling booth in the entrance hall and then visit the museum for free.
‘The Anne Frank Stichting is committed to the values of freedom, equal rights, and democracy. Anne Frank was born in a democratic country, but four years later, her native country became a dictatorship. It is important to realise that democracy is fragile, and we must cherish our democratic values. We hope to welcome many Amsterdammers to the Anne Frank House on election day.’
Changing the World
All voters at the Anne Frank House will be handed a red pencil with a quote from Anne Frank from 1944: “How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world!” After casting their votes, Amsterdam residents can visit the museum, where Anne Frank lived in hiding and wrote her diary.
Lessons in Democracy
How can you resist the erosion of democracy and the rise of authoritarianism? Creative studio Job, Joris & Marieke created a short animation on this topic. The animation was inspired by the book On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder. This American historian, an expert on the Holocaust, explains in a series of ‘lessons’ how to stand up against emerging authoritarianism.
Young People
Democracy matters to all of us. For students, however, it is often an abstract concept. In an interactive lesson based on the animation mentioned before, students learn about the concept of democracy and how democracy influences their daily lives.