What was the Secret Annex?

The Secret Annex of #263 is one in a long row. Photo from www.annefrank.org The Secret Annex was an attic in which 8 Jewish people, including the Franks, lived for 2 years in hiding. They suffered from boredom, hunger, and the need to go outside and live normal lives. In some ways, the Secret Annex was a prison for the 8 people who lived there. “At the beginning of 1942, Otto and Edith Frank seriously start to consider the possiblity that the family may have to go into hiding. Otto comes up with an idea, together with Hermann van Pels, to prepare the empty section of their office building on the Prinsengracht as a hiding place. "A short time later, they discuss this plan with their employees Victor Kugler and Johannes Kleiman. The men work together to furnish the hiding place; the brother of Johannes Kleiman also lends a hand. Otto Frank later approaches Miep Gies and Bep Voskuil to ask if they are also willing to help out. All four employees are prepared to cooperate, even though they know they are risking their own lives by doing so. "The Frank family goes into hiding on July 6, 1942. At that moment, the hiding place is not actually ready for them. There are boxes of things piled everywhere. They immediately make curtains, because of course the neighbors must not be able to see inside. ... The Van Pels family arrives at the Secret Annex a week later. Anne is happy because there are now more people to talk to. An eighth person joins them in November 1942: Fritz Pfeffer, an acquaintance of the Frank family. These eight people must share the rooms of the Secret Annex. There are two rooms on the first floor: one for Otto, Edith and Margot Frank; the other for Anne Frank and Fritz Pfeffer. On the same floor, there is also a bathroom with a sink for washing up and a separate toilet. "The Van Pels family inhabits the second floor. During the day Mr. and Mrs. Van Pels' bedroom functions as the common living and dining room. Next door is Peter van Pels’ tiny room. Anne writes about it: ‘…very small, very dark and damp.’ Via Peter’s room, the people in hiding can reach the attic, where the food supplies are stored. Anne and Peter often go to the attic so they can talk in private. "While the people in hiding are living in the Secret Annex, Otto Frank’s business continues to operate as usual. The people who work in the warehouse on the ground floor are not aware of anything, except the warehouse manager, Johan Voskuijl ... At the end of August 1942, he builds the movable bookcase to conceal the entrance to the Secret Annex. "During the day, the people in hiding must be very careful and quiet. The office employees must also not let on. In the afternoons, the warehouse men go home for a break. Then the helpers often go upstairs for a short while to eat some lunch with everyone in the Secret Annex. The people in hiding always look forward to these visits. "In July 1942, the people in hiding still do not know that they will spend more than two years in the Secret Annex. All that time, they will not be able to go outside and they will have to share the darkness and dampness of the hiding place, continually fearful of being discovered.” (http://www.annefrank.org/content.asp?pid=304&lid=2)

Diagram of Annex

Diagram of Annex This diagram shows the interior structure of the Secret Annex. The Frank family hid in the attic of the rear building. Diagram from www.scrapbookpages.com/AnneFrank

Hiding Place

This diagram shows where each person lived in during the two years they spent in the Secret Annex. Diagram from Anne Frank: Beyond the Diary.