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Published: June 23rd 2022
Anne Frank Monument
Statue of Anne Frank. Bronze by Mari Andriessen. Westermarkt, Amsterdam.
IMG_3668Visiting the Anne Frank House was the most moving museum experience I have ever had. It is certainly a not-to-be-missed location in Amsterdam.
I have not read the published Diary of Anne Frank, but know of the story surrounding it. The Jewish Frank family, Otto and Edith and their daughters Margot and Anne, went into hiding in mid-1942 as the German forces occupying Amsterdam began to deport Jewish citizens. The Franks decided to go into hiding in the face of certain arrest. Otto Frank managed a food business at Prinsengracht 263. Typical of a canal house layout, there was a second house, called the annex, in back of the main house facing the street and canal. The Franks prepared to stay in the annex. Only four of the front-office staff knew they were there and in secret, and at great danger to themselves, passed food and supplies to the family.. Other workers in the building did not know they were hiding and so they had to be extremely quiet during the day. (Not even using the bathroom so there wold be no sound.) Along with four other people who joined them, the Franks stayed there for two years until they
Anne Frank Museum
Anne Frank Museum. The museum is adjacent to the Anne Frank House. Westermarkt 20.
P1280475p1 were discovered in 1944. All were sent to concentration camps and Otto Frank was the sole survivor.
Just before the family hid, Anne had received a diary for her birthday. In it, she recorded her thoughts and the experiences of life in annex. She remained in remarkably good spirits, always maintaining a positive outlook on life and people. Her diary was discovered after the raid by one of the four "helpers" as they were known. Otto deiced to publish it after he knew Anne had died at a camp.
The museum occupies three buildings. Photography is not permitted on the premises. Two buildings contain the entrance, related exhibits on the Frans and the Holocaust, and the museum shop, while the office/warehouse and annex are preserved as they were in 1942-1944. The rooms are bare, so that one can form one's own conception of life in the very confined space. An exception is Anne's room which still has the picture postcards and magazine clippings of movie stars and celebrities of the day she put there. This was a remarkable sight. I could relate as my daughter liked to put pictures of film and rock starts on her walls when
Homomonument
Homomonument. The monument commemorates gay people persecuted during World War II. Installed in 1987.
P1280473 she was a teenager. It makes one realize that Anne Frank was, above all, a typical teenage girl. There must be thousands of stories like hers we do not know about.
There is alway a very long queue to enter. I recommend purchasing tickets in advance online. These cost more, but are worth it.
From the Ann Frank House, we headed to Dam Square along Raadhuissraat. Looming in front was the back of the Royal Palace. (It was formerly the Town Hall, hence the street name.) At left was the Nieuwe Kerk, the New Church of 1409. Two interesting buildings face it, Hotel Die Poort Van Cleve (1870) in Dutch Renaissance Revival style and Magna Plaza (the old Post Office of 1894) in Dutch Gothic Revival style. Dam Square is the center of Amsterdam, a large square where everyone congregates. I liked the Hot Dog food truck in the center of the square. Dam Square affords a better view of the front façade of the palace. The large building was built in 1648-1655. In 1808, Louis Bonaparte decided such an imposing structure should be a palace rather than a town hall. It remains the Royal Palace, although the
Nieuwe Kerk
Nieuwe Kerk - New Church. Built between 1380 and 1408 as the second parish church. Rebuilt after 1645. Dam Square.
"The Nieuwe Kerk, a late-Gothic cruciform structure with ambulatory and radiating chapels, was erected about 1408 and restored after fires and outrages in 1421, 1578, and 1645. It has recently been freed from the buildings which adjoined it".--Baedeker 1910.
P1280497p1 Dutch royal family lives outside The Hague.
After visiting the Ann Frank House and Dam Square, it was time to see something completely different. Alongside the high culture and history already visited, Amsterdam is a tolerant city but can be a pretty crazy place. Near the Ann Frank House is the Homomonument, honoring Gay people persecuted during the Nazi era as well contemporary equality of sexual orientation. Then at the same time, there were the dudes in Borat swimsuits singing at the top of their lungs while floating along the Singlegracht. People smoking joints on the street. Smart shop (head shop) advertising cards at the hotel. Magic Mushroom shops. It's all quite a bit to absorb, even for one from Washington, DC, and Los Angeles. So, with that, let's go see the famous Red Light District that everyone talks about.
Our Globus guide next led us to
Die Wallen, one of the older neighborhoods of the city. A proliferation of so-called "Coffee Shops", Magic Mushroom shops, and the Hangover Information Center indicated we were approaching the Red Light District. The first landmark in De Wallen was the
Oude Kerk (Old Church). The present Gothic church dates from 1306,
Koninklijk Paleis Amsterdam
Koninklijk Paleis Amsterdam - Royal Palace in Amsterdam. Front facade facing Dam Square. The large building was built in 1648-1655 as the city hall (Stadhuis op de Dam). In 1808, Louis Bonaparte decided such an imposing structure should be a palace rather than a town hall. It remains the Royal Palace, although the Dutch royal family lives outside The Hague.
"The Royal Palace (Het Paleis), formerly the town-hall, a massive and sober building in a severe pseudo-classical style, was begun by Jac. van Campen in 1648, immediately after the peace of Westphalia, and substantially finished in 1655 at a cost of eight million florins. It rests on a foundation of 13,659 piles; length 262 ft., width 207 ft., height 108 ft., height of tower 167 ft. The gables are embellished with reliefs by Artus Quellin the Elder, celebrating allegorically the glories of the great commercial city and ‘queen of the seas'".--Baedeker 1910.
P1280503p1 but the foundations are much older. It is Amsterdam's oldest church. In front of the church is the sex workers monument, a sculpture named Belle. The Oudekerksplein is thus the gateway to the Red Light District. This is the area, as I'm sure everyone knows, where prostitution is legal and regulated. (And photography is forbidden.) Women pay a fee to a building owner to stand provocatively in a display window and essentially put themselves up for sale. We were here about 6:00 p.m. and there appeared to be little going on. Ordinary residents were bustling along the street going about their business. Patrons were spilling out of the coffeeshops, a distinct aroma pervading the adjacent sidewalk. There is even a Museum of Prostitution! The famous Windows were visible, but empty. Maybe the night shift had not come on duty. I noted a total of four girls showcasing their wares. One was on her mobile. One immediately shut her curtain when she spotted an obvious group of tourists. A third let it all hang out, but looked like a living statue. Another was standing in her doorway, happily singing and apparently totally stoned.
Well, time now for a Dutch dinner
Coach in Dam Square
Coach and coachman in Dam Square.
P1280502 over at Haesje Claes, a delightful Dutch restaurant. Restaurant Haesje Claes is tucked away on a narrow street south of Dam Square. It looks small on the outside, but is large and busy on the inside. Still, it maintains an inviting atmosphere, intimately divided into several dining rooms. We were seated in the Red Dining Room, with dark wood paneling and a display of Delftware along the walls. Very elegant. Dinner was a chance to try several Dutch specialities. The soup course was Pea Soup with Sausage. (I've never had such good pea soup!) The main was Hutspot (Hotchpotch), a Dutch stew combining a meatball, sausage, and bacon with potatoes. That was really good! To top it all off, dessert was a folded Dutch pancake with ice cream. Dutch cuisine is hearty fare that holds many surprises!
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RENanDREW
Ren & Andrew
Yum
This crepe dessert looks absolutely delicious! And thanks for the explanation of the Frank Family story - I've read bit and pieces about the family's story but never knew (or had forgotten) that the father was the only one who survived the camps. It's sad, but so important that we keep telling and re-telling these horrible stories.