Life-sized replica of Anne Frank’s secret annex is coming to NYC

NEW YORK CITY - The "Anne Frank The Exhibition" is coming to New York City on Jan 27, International Holocaust Remembrance Day, giving people a glimpse into where she spent years of hiding to evade the Nazis during World War II. 

What is in the exhibit?

Big picture view:

The exhibit is a full-scale recreation of the annex, complete with the furniture pieces that adorned the space during Frank’s years in hiding.

The exhibit will have more than 100 artifacts that the United States has never seen before, including: 

• Anne Frank’s first photo album (1929-1942)
• Anne Frank’s typed and handwritten invitation to her friend for a film screening in her home (by 1942, anti-Jewish measures prohibited Jews from attending the cinema)
• Handwritten verses by Anne Frank in her friends' poetry albums

A reproduction of Anne Frank's diary is part of a new, permanent exhibition about the life of Anne Frank at the Simon Wiesenthal Center and the Museum of Tolerance. "Anne" opens October 14th with multimedia components, interactive displays and short

Expand

Anne’s diary will not be making the transatlantic trip.

The backstory:

In July 1942, Anne Frank, then aged 13, her parents Otto and Edith, and her 16-year-old sister Margo went into hiding in the annex. They were joined a week later by the van Pels family — Hermann, Auguste and their 15-year-old son, Peter. Four months later, Fritz Pfeffer moved into the hiding place, also seeking to evade capture by the Netherlands’ Nazi German occupiers.

Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Mr. Otto Frank, father of Anne Frank, shows Queen Juliana of The Netherlands the hiding place of the Frank family during World War II. The Queen visited the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam at the occasion of the 50th anniver

Expand

They stayed in the annex of rooms until they were discovered in 1944 and sent to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp. Anne and her sister Margot were then moved to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where they both died of typhus in February 1945. Anne was 15.

The rear facade of Anne Frank's secret annex, March 25, 1957. (Photo by: Sepia Times/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Her father, Otto, the only person from the annex to survive the Holocaust, published Anne’s diary after the war and it became a publishing sensation around the world as a symbol of hope and resilience in the face of tyranny.

What they're saying:

"As a custodian of Anne’s legacy, we have an obligation to help world audiences understand the historical roots and evolution of antisemitism, including how it fueled Nazi ideology that led to the Holocaust. Anne’s legacy is remarkable, as represented in the diary she left us, and as one of the 1.5 million Jewish children who were murdered at the hands of Nazi officials and their collaborators. Through this exhibition, the Anne Frank House offers insights into how this could have happened and what it means for us today," Ronald Leopold, Executive Director of the Anne Frank House said in a statement. 

While the faithfully rebuilt annex of rooms will be the heart of the exhibit, it also will trace the history of Anne’s family from their time in Germany, their move to the Netherlands and decision to go into hiding, to their discovery by Nazis, deportation, Anne’s death and the postwar decision by her father to publish her diary.

How long is the exhibit open for?

What we know:

The exhibit will be showcased at the Center for Jewish History, located at 15 W 16th Street in New York City. 

It will run from Jan 27—International Holocaust Remembrance Day—through April 30, 2025.

Hours of operation:

The exhibit is open Sunday through Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. On Fridays, the hours are 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The exhibit is closed on Saturdays. 

How much does it cost?:

For individual tickets, here is the cost breakdown: 

• Monday through Friday: $21 (17 and under, $16)*
• Sunday and holidays: $27 (17 and under, $22)*

To purchase a ticket, click here.