The Secret Annex


Anne Frank. A young Jewish girl who was alive during WWII. She and her family hid from the Nazis in an attic in Amsterdam, trying not to get caught and go into a concentration camp. After two years of hiding, she was discovered. After Annes passed in 1945, her father found a diary of hers. She became very popular because she was a magnificent writer at such a young age. Her diary documented her whole experience, thoughts, and feelings at the time of hiding.

A screenshot from annefrank.org

The website I came across allows the audience to explore the Secret Annex. The Secret Annex was the place where Anne and other family members hid. This virtual, interactive website was terrific for someone unable to visit Amsterdam to see this tour in person. Walking and looking around feels like you’re really there in real life. Just viewing where Anne slept every night made my stomach sink.

Throughout this tour, there are attached Youtube videos. The videos give you more information about what went on in the location of the Annex that you’re in. There are videos about Anne’s relationship with a boy living with her in the Attic, Peter. There are videos about how they almost got caught two times and a video about their daily routines. I highly recommend watching the video when you see a play button; they make the whole tour.

Here is a link to the Youtube video that was attached to this photo

Having these videos with more information makes the tour feel more intimate. The videos give you an overall picture of how horrible this time was for this family. This website could be highly beneficial for students who are learning how WWII. Sometimes it could be challenging for teachers to get their students to understand and grasp what a time like this meant for anyone who Hitler targeted. This virtual tour is a great resource to use in a classroom; it is very educational and powerful.


7 responses to “The Secret Annex”

  1. This is a great tool for anyone to have access to! I can see it being used in the classroom to teach history as a field trip, or for someone who just wishes to see what the annex was like. I would’ve loved to have had this be a part of my education to somewhat experience a part of history!

  2. As a History major and History Buff, this is an amazing tool to use to teach history. In my opinion, the best way to learn history is to see it. And I think this tool you have shown us in your blog does a wonderful job of that. Overall I like the flow of your blog it is short and too the point and gets across all of the information that it needs too.

  3. Hi! Growing up, I have always wanted to visit Amsterdam and make my way over to the museum they have fro Anne Frank. I love that they have the option to do a virtual field trip in case you cannot make it to Amsterdam. This will be a great tool to use in the classroom when teaching about Anne Frank. Camille

  4. Hello! I found this blog post to be super interesting. The interactive tool allows for students to gain a better and deeper understanding of the Annex. I feel like this would be very helpful for middle schoolers to learn more about the Holocaust.

  5. Learning about the holocaust is always very eye opening to me. This post was no different. The site you followed was very interesting to explore and the attached video was insightful. Thanks for sharing!

  6. Hello! I think this virtual trip is extremely interesting, and I think many students would love to experience this. The Holocaust is often a tough lesson for students to understand, and this website would definitely give them a better understanding of the event and what people really went through. Your blog post was super informative and I would definitely use this in my future classroom with my students when I am a teacher!

Leave a Reply