I've decided to go ahead with the concertina book idea, thus I definitely want Anne Frank's house to be included in this. Tourists from all over the world come to visit the former hiding place of the young girl who dreamed of becoming a writer and being free from the Nazis in the Second World War.
Facts and quotes:
- "One day this terrible war will be over. The time will come when we'll be people again and not just Jews!"-Anne Frank 11 April 1944
- Anne was born in Frankfurt, Germany on 12th June 1929
- She was one of the millions of victims of the Nazi persecution of the Jews during the Second World War
- The Franks moved to Amsterdam in 1933 when Hitler came into power and established an anti-Jewish regime, Otto Frank set up a business in the city
- In May 1940, the German army occupies the Netherlands, and anti-Jewish measures were implemented there as well
- The Frank family went into hiding at 263 Prinsengracht, where Otto's business is located on July 6th 1942
- Anne received a red and white tartan diary as a present from her parents for her 13th birthday, she wrote in this diary when the family were in hiding
- Of the 8 people in hiding, Otto Frank is the only person to survive. He made the decision for Annes Diary to be published, and for the hiding place to be made into a museum in 1960
Observations/Experience on my visit:
- Extremely moving and humbling, the fact that the place was so well preserved in its original state largely informed this
- I learnt about Anne Frank in primary school in history when I was about 9, so actually seeing the secret annexe, and particularly the moveable bookcase in the flesh really bought the story to life for me
- It was very quiet/eerie
- I got the impression that the Franks were a fairly middle class family before the Nazis stripped them of everything they owned
http://www.annefrank.org/en/Museum/From-hiding-place-to-museum/Saved-from-demolition/
http://www.biography.com/people/anne-frank-9300892
Anne Frank House; A museum with a story- English museum guide
Red Light District
Prostitution is legal in Holland, and in Amsterdam most of it is concentrated in the Red Light District where it has enjoyed a long tradition of tolerance. Since October 2000, window prostitutes have been allowed to legally ply their trade.-Amsterdam.Info
Facts:
- As early as the 1300's, women carrying red lanterns met sailors at nearby ports, bars and clubs, as Amsterdam was one of Europe's major trading harbours
- Prostitution wasn't legal until 1810
- Brothels were legalised in 2000
- Police monitor the red light district with the use of cameras and patrols
- The minimum age to be a prostitute in Amsterdam is 21
Observations/Experience on my visit:
- I've never been anywhere like this before. Part of me felt a great deal of sympathy for the women who were pretty much being viewed as pieces of meat by their male spectators, yet the other part of me was glad that the women who chose this profession would receive full support in a safe and secure working environment
- It was full of tourists, it just seems to be such a novelty attraction to non Dutch nationals
- It was a mixed experience of being weirded out by the seediness of it all and feeling sorry for the women, and being enlightened about how 'normal' and un-condemning prostitution is in Amsterdam
What now?!
I need to spend tomorrow visually documenting some of the other attractions that I want to feature in my concertina book. I have a tutorial on Wednesday so that will be a good opportunity to review my progress and gain some more direction.
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