The Annex

A Tribute to Anne Frank

June 12, 1929 - June 12, 2026

97 years since her birth

The Helpers

These brave individuals risked their lives daily to keep the eight hidden occupants alive. They brought food, supplies, news, and hope.

Miep Gies
1909-2010

Secretary at Otto's company. Brought food, books, news. Saved Anne's diary after the raid and returned it to Otto.

Johannes Kleiman
1896-1959

Company director, helped organize the hiding place. Arrested but survived.

Victor Kugler
1900-1981

Company director, managed day-to-day logistics. Arrested, escaped during transport.

Bep Voskuijl
1919-1983

Youngest helper, brought bread and milk daily. Her father built the bookcase door.

Jan Gies
1905-1993

Miep's husband, provided ration cards obtained through Resistance contacts.

Johan Voskuijl
1892-1945

Bep's father, warehouse manager who built the famous bookcase concealing the Annex entrance.

"I am not a hero. I stand at the end of the long, long line of good Dutch people who did what I did and more - much more - during those dark and terrible times years ago, but always like yesterday in the hearts of those who bear witness. Never were we heroes. We were just ordinary people doing what any decent person would do."
- Miep Gies
The Bookcase Door

Johan Voskuijl, Bep's father, constructed the famous bookcase that concealed the entrance to the Secret Annex. It swung on hinges, appeared to be an ordinary bookcase filled with files, and fooled visitors for over two years. It remains in place at the Anne Frank House museum today.

Miep's Promise

After the raid on August 4, 1944, Miep Gies returned to the ransacked Annex and found Anne's papers scattered on the floor. She gathered them and locked them in her desk drawer, unread. She kept them safe, hoping to return them to Anne after the war. When Otto Frank returned alone in June 1945, she gave him his daughter's words.