Memory of the World; 2012 - unesdoc - Unesco

the Netherlands. By 6 September they were in Auschwitz-
Birkenau camp in Poland. Her mother died of starvation
and Anne and Margot were relocated to Bergen-Belsen
camp where they died within days of each other in March
1945, weeks before the British liberated the camp.
Otto Frank returned to Amsterdam where he learned
that he was the sole survivor of the annexe group. His
friend Miep Gies who had supported the family, gave him
Anne’s diary and papers which she had recovered from the
ransacked rooms after the raid. Otto edited Anne’s diary
for its publication on 25 June 1947.
The Diary of Anne Frank has sold more than
25 million copies worldwide and has been translated
into sixty-five languages. Her inspirational story resonates
with young people through the years and brings over
a million visitors a year to her Prinsengracht hiding
place. Her diary is used across the world to teach about
the Holocaust.
One of Anne’s final entries, from 21 July 1944, is one
of the most poignant in the diary:
‘It’s difficult in times like these; ideals, dreams and
cherished hopes rise within us, only to be crushed by grim
reality. It’s a wonder I haven’t abandoned all my ideals,
they seem so absurd and impractical. Yet I cling to them
because I believe, in spite of everything, that people are
truly good at heart.’
480 Diaries of Anne Frank
� Anne Frank’s diary
Statue of Anne Frank in Amsterdam close to her former house �