Photo: John Halpern

For the first time in history, the Anne Frank House is reaching beyond its home roots in Amsterdam to bring to New York Anne Frank: The Exhibition. Showcasing at the Center for Jewish History in Union Square, the exhibition presents a full-scale recreation of the Anne Frank House, including original artifacts and replica spaces of where the Frank family lived in hiding.

The exhibition is self-guided, with an audio component for visitors to learn about what the Frank family endured during WWII. Moving through the exhibition, visitors will be given the opportunity to walk through Anne’s life, from the early days in Germany to her family’s move to Amsterdam, through her deportation to Auschwitz-Birkenau in Nazi-occupied Poland, and finally her death at Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany at only 15 years old.

Verse by Anne Frank in her poetry album. Photo: Ray van der Bas.

This exhibition marks the first time dozens of artifacts will be seen in the United States, from Anne’s poetry album, to a WWII “election ballot,” to father Otto Frank’s cabin trunk. They also feature replica spaces of where the Frank family was living in hiding.

The first US edition of Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, 1952. Photo: Ray van der Bas.

Tickets are $24 Monday through Friday and $31 on Sundays, with discounts for people 17 and under. The exhibition takes approximately one hour to go through and will be showing until October 31. Tickets can be purchased here.

This summer, Anne Frank The Exhibition is expanding its efforts to introduce as many New Yorkers as possible to Anne Frank’s legacy of hope and courage, offering enhanced access and free admission to thousands of public service champions, including teachers, first responders, active military, and librarians.  The new summer initiatives include:

• Teacher Tuesdays:
  • From 9:30-11:30am, teachers will be granted free access for up to 2 adults and 4 children.
  • Valid school ID and email address is required for free entry.
• First Responder and Active-Duty Wednesdays:
  • From 12:30-3:30pm, all first responders (including NYPD, FDNY, EMS, and PAPD) as well as active-duty service members, will be granted free access for up to 2 adults and up to 4 children.
  • Valid government-issued ID is required for free entry.
• Public Librarian Weekday Evenings: 
  • On Monday through Thursday, from 5:00-6:30pm, all NYC public librarians will be granted free access for up to 2 adults and up to 2 children.
  • Valid ID and NYC public library email address is required.
• Free Friday Extended Hours + NYC Library Card Priority Access:
  • From 2:45-5:00pm, the exhibit is offering free entry to all visitors (last entry at 4:00pm).
  • The first 100 NYC library cardholders to arrive will receive expedited access on these Free Fridays.

For more information, visit annefrankexhibit.org

Replica of the dining space where the Frank family lived in Amsterdam with the Van Pels. Photo: John Halpern