Anne Frank was born on June 12^th, 1929 in Germany to parents Otto and Edith Frank, and an older sister, Margot.

With Hitler’s rise to power, and a growing level of anti-Semitism, Otto decides that it’s time to leave his home town and take his family to somewhere safer – Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Otto sets up a business in Amsterdam, the family finds a new home and the girls attend school.

On September 1^st, 1939 Germany invades Poland and it is the start of World War II. For a while there is hope that The Netherlands will remain neutral, but on May 10^th, 1940 German troops invade the country and five days later The Netherlands surrenders and is occupied.

Anti-Jewish regulations soon follow. Jews are allowed into fewer and fewer areas of the city, their bicycles and cars are confiscated, they are forced to re-locate and live in dedicated Jewish areas, display a Star of David on their outer clothing and live by ever-increasing laws and restrictions. Otto’s business is confiscated.

Together with his Jewish business partner, Otto and his family go into hiding on July 6^th, 1942 in the rear annex of his business premises. One week later they are joined by another three-member Jewish family and an eighth person joins them later in the year.

Shortly before going into hiding Anne receives a diary for her birthday. She starts writing straightaway and during her time in hiding she writes about events in the secret annex and about herself. Her diary is a great support to her.

Tragically, after more than two years in hiding, the Frank family and their friends are discovered and deported to concentration camps. Anne’s father, Otto Frank, is the only one of the eight people in hiding to survive.

After her death, Anne becomes world-famous because her father ensures that the diary his daughter wrote while in the annex is published.