Anne Frank's biography

The time before hiding

Anne Frank was born in Frankfurt am Main on June 12, 1929, the youngest of two daughters. Her wealthy Jewish parents insisted on a liberal and humanistic upbringing from the very beginning. For example, it was never important to them whether Anne got good grades in school. All that mattered to them was that their daughter was healthy and happy.

After Hitler's seizure of power in 1933, Anne's father Otto Frank struggles to build a new life for his family elsewhere. He emigrated to Amsterdam the same year and established a branch of the gelling agent company Opekta there. A few months later, he brought his family with him. Anne was only four years old at the time. In Amsterdam, the Frank family lived in a new housing development ...