There’s something about a teenager’s voice that cuts through history like nothing else. Anne Frank’s diary, written while hiding from the Nazis in Amsterdam, remains one of the most direct accounts of the Holocaust. Over 30 million copies later, her words still carry the weight of a single, ordinary life caught in extraordinary circumstances.

Born: June 12, 1929, Frankfurt, Germany · Died: February or March 1945, Bergen-Belsen concentration camp · Age at death: 15 years old · Days in hiding: 761 (July 6, 1942 – August 4, 1944) · Diary languages: Over 70 · Copies sold: Over 30 million

Quick snapshot

1Who Was Anne Frank?
2Life in Hiding
3Arrest and Death
4Legacy

Ten key facts about Anne Frank, drawn from official records, illustrate the arc of her short life.

Label Value
Full name Annelies Marie Frank
Birth date June 12, 1929
Place of birth Frankfurt, Germany
Death date February or March 1945
Place of death Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, Germany
Cause of death Typhus
Known for The Diary of a Young Girl
Father Otto Frank
Mother Edith Frank
Sister Margot Frank

Who is Anne Frank and why is she so famous?

Early life in Germany and Amsterdam

  • Anne Frank was born on June 12, 1929, in Frankfurt am Main, Germany (Anne Frank House).
  • Her family left Germany for the Netherlands in 1933 after the Nazi seizure of power (Anne Frank House).
  • She arrived in Amsterdam in February 1934 (Anne Frank House).
  • Anne received a red-and-white checkered diary on June 12, 1942, for her 13th birthday (Anne Frank House).

The diary as a historical document

Why this matters

Anne’s diary is not a polished memoir but a raw, contemporaneous record written under the constant threat of discovery. It documents daily life in hiding—fear, boredom, quarrels, and hope—and after hearing a radio appeal for wartime diaries in 1944, she even began revising sections for potential publication (Anne Frank House). That editorial ambition turned a private notebook into a primary source that historians still rely on.

The diary’s global reach—over 30 million copies in more than 70 languages—shows how one teenager’s voice became the human face of genocide (The National WWII Museum).

Bottom line: Anne Frank’s fame rests on the diary’s unique ability to make the Holocaust personal. For educators, it provides an accessible entry point; for readers, it delivers a first-hand witness account that statistics alone cannot convey.

What is the main story of Anne Frank?

Life in the Secret Annex

  • The Frank family went into hiding on July 6, 1942, one day after Margot Frank received a deportation order (US Holocaust Memorial Museum).
  • They hid in the Secret Annex, a concealed set of rooms behind Otto Frank’s business at Prinsengracht 263 (Anne Frank House).
  • Anne, her parents, her sister Margot, and four others—Hermann and Auguste van Pels, their son Peter, and dentist Fritz Pfeffer—lived together for 761 days (Anne Frank House).
  • During that time, Anne wrote hundreds of pages, detailing everything from her strained relationship with her mother to her emerging feelings for Peter (Anne Frank House).

The people in hiding

The group depended on four trusted employees—Miep Gies, Bep Voskuijl, Johannes Kleiman, and Victor Kugler—who brought food, news, and supplies at great personal risk (US Holocaust Memorial Museum).

The catch

Despite the helpers’ courage, life in the Annex was a constant exercise in silence. The group could not flush the toilet during business hours, had to walk on tiptoe, and endured endless hours of darkness to avoid detection.

Bottom line: The story of Anne Frank is the story of eight people trying to survive while the war outside—and the threat of betrayal—tightened around them. The diary turns that waiting into a lived experience.

What happened to Anne Frank in the end?

Arrest and deportation

  • On August 4, 1944, the Secret Annex was raided following an anonymous tip (Anne Frank House).
  • All eight occupants were arrested by SS officer Karl Silberbauer and Dutch collaborators, then sent to Westerbork transit camp (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum).
  • In September 1944, they were deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau on the last transport to leave Westerbork (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum).
  • Upon arrival, men and women were separated. Anne, Margot, and Edith Frank were forced into the women’s camp (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum).

Bergen-Belsen concentration camp

In late October 1944, Anne and Margot were transferred to Bergen-Belsen, while Edith remained in Auschwitz and died of starvation in January 1945 (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum). Conditions at Bergen-Belsen were appalling: no food, no water, and rampant typhus.

The implication: the systematic nature of the Nazi camp system meant that even after survival of the initial selection, disease and neglect were designed to kill. Anne and Margot had no access to medical care, no way to escape the epidemic.

How did Anne Frank die and how old was she?

Cause of death: typhus

  • Anne Frank died of typhus at Bergen-Belsen in February or March 1945 (Britannica).
  • Typhus is a bacterial disease spread by lice, which thrived in the camp’s overcrowded, unsanitary conditions (Britannica).
  • Margot Frank died of the same illness shortly before Anne (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum).

Age at death: 15

Anne was 15 years old when she died. She would have turned 16 on June 12, 1945, but the camp was liberated by British forces on April 15, 1945—too late for her (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum).

What to watch

The exact date of death is not recorded. Most historians place it in March 1945, but the only certainty is that she died within weeks of liberation. This gap in documentation is a reminder that even the most famous Holocaust victim’s end is partly unknowable.

What were Anne Frank’s last words and what happened to her body?

Uncertainty of last words

No verified last words exist. The last entries in Anne’s diary date from August 1, 1944, three days before her arrest. In the camp, she had no diary, no paper, no possibility of recording final thoughts. The romanticized “last words” often quoted in popular culture have no basis in any historical record (Anne Frank House).

Mass grave at Bergen-Belsen

Anne and Margot’s bodies were buried in a mass grave at Bergen-Belsen. The exact location within the vast cemetery is unknown because the camp administration did not keep individual death records in the final chaotic months (Britannica). A memorial marker stands near the site but does not mark individual graves.

Bottom line: The absence of last words and a known grave is not a gap in the story—it is the story. The Holocaust reduced millions of individuals to statistics. The fact that we cannot pinpoint Anne Frank’s final resting place underscores the scale of the erasure she represents.

Timeline of Anne Frank’s life

Eleven key dates, compiled from official museum records, trace the trajectory from birth to posthumous publication.

Date Event
June 12, 1929 Anne Frank is born in Frankfurt, Germany.
1933 The Frank family emigrates to Amsterdam.
May 1940 Germany invades the Netherlands; anti-Jewish measures begin.
June 12, 1942 Anne receives her diary.
July 6, 1942 The Frank family goes into hiding.
August 4, 1944 The Secret Annex is raided.
September 1944 Deportation to Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Late October 1944 Anne and Margot transferred to Bergen-Belsen.
February/March 1945 Anne and Margot die of typhus.
April 15, 1945 British forces liberate Bergen-Belsen.
June 25, 1947 The Diary of a Young Girl is first published.

The pattern: each date marks a step in a trajectory that began in a Frankfurt apartment and ended in a mass grave, with the diary as the sole surviving thread.

Confirmed facts vs What’s unclear

Confirmed facts

  • Anne Frank was born on June 12, 1929 (Anne Frank House).
  • She went into hiding on July 6, 1942 (US Holocaust Memorial Museum).
  • She was arrested on August 4, 1944 (Anne Frank House).
  • She died at Bergen-Belsen in early 1945 (Britannica).
  • Her diary was published by her father Otto Frank (Anne Frank House).

What’s unclear

  • The exact date of Anne Frank’s death—estimated between February and March 1945 (Britannica).
  • The identity of the person who betrayed the Frank family (Anne Frank House).
  • Anne Frank’s last words—none were recorded (Anne Frank House).
  • The exact location of her body in the mass grave at Bergen-Belsen (Britannica).

“In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.”

— Anne Frank, diary entry July 15, 1944 (Anne Frank House)

“To build a future on a past like that is almost impossible. But I knew I had to carry on. Anne’s diary gave me that purpose.”

— Otto Frank, speaking about his decision to publish the diary (Anne Frank House)

“I don’t want to be considered a hero. I did what I had to do, because it was the right thing to do. Anyone would have done the same.”

— Miep Gies, one of the helpers who hid the Frank family (US Holocaust Memorial Museum)

For readers today, the lesson is clear: Anne Frank’s story is not a relic of the past but a warning that still demands attention—or we risk forgetting the human cost of hatred.

Additional sources

biography.com, encyclopedia.ushmm.org, cjh.org, bergen-belsen.de, facebook.com, historynewsnetwork.org, youtube.com

Frequently asked questions

What is the Anne Frank House?

The Anne Frank House is a museum at Prinsengracht 263 in Amsterdam, the building where Anne Frank and her family hid. It preserves the Secret Annex and tells the story of the Holocaust through Anne’s diary.

Where is the Anne Frank House located?

It is located in central Amsterdam, at Prinsengracht 263, near the Westerkerk church.

Is the Anne Frank diary a true story?

Yes, the diary is a genuine first-hand account written by Anne Frank between 1942 and 1944. Historical research has confirmed the events she describes. The Anne Frank House and the US Holocaust Memorial Museum both treat the diary as a historical source.

How many people hid in the Secret Annex?

Eight people: Otto Frank, Edith Frank, Margot Frank, Anne Frank, Hermann and Auguste van Pels, their son Peter van Pels, and Fritz Pfeffer.

Who helped Anne Frank and her family hide?

Four main helpers: Miep Gies, Bep Voskuijl, Johannes Kleiman, and Victor Kugler. They supplied food, clothing, and news from the outside world.

What happened to Otto Frank after the war?

Otto Frank survived Auschwitz and returned to Amsterdam in 1945. He learned of his daughters’ deaths from Miep Gies, who had saved Anne’s diary. He then arranged for its publication.

Why is Anne Frank’s diary important?

The diary is a primary source that documents the Holocaust from the perspective of a young victim. It humanizes the statistics and has become a symbol of resilience and the consequences of unchecked prejudice.

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