1. Löwenburg, Hessen, Kassel

Modeled after a real Medieval knight’s castle, the Löwenburg (Lion’s Castle) was the private residence of Landgrave Wilhelm IX from 1793 to 1800. It is an architectural gem that served as both a fortress and leisure palace, with many turrets, bay windows and elaborate decorations. Although it fell into ruin after the death of Landgrave, it is today part of the larger Wilhelmshöhe Park and open to the public as a museum. Inside, you can see the former ornately decorated living rooms, an extensive weapons collection, a rich assortment of historical furniture, paintings, tapestries and medieval stained glass windows. Consult the Löwenburg Castle Website for more information.

2. Schwerin Castle, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

One of the most picturesque settings, Schwerin Castle is located on an island in the middle of Lake Schwerin, Germany’s third largest lake. It is regarded as one of the most beautiful and most important castles of Romantic Historicism in Northern Europe. This location has long provided strategic protection and there has been a fortress there since the year 973, when the Slavs settled in the area. The building you see today was commissioned, expanded and rebuilt by Grand Duke Friedrich Franz II of Mecklenburg-Schwerin between the years of 1845 and 1857 to include 653 rooms! Surrounding the castle grounds is a Burggarten garden and extensive parkland inspired by local traditions and French castle along the Loire.

Today, you can visit the Museum Schlöss Schwerin, full of artwork, an extensive porcelain collection and a collection of royal hunting and decorative weapons. The castle is also the home of the State Parliament of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Consult the Schwerin Castle website for more information.

3. Ahrensburg Castle, Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein

Just a quick day trip from Hamburg is the Ahrensburg Castle, built in 1595. Although it was originally referred to as a mansion, today it maintains the name of “castle” and is a symbol of the town of Ahrensburg. It serves mainly as a museum and event venue. Throughout the year you can find summer theatres performances, musical concerts and even a medieval market. Consult the Ahrensburg Castle website for more information.

4. Heidelburg Castle, Baden-Württemberg

Featured in a previous article, the Heidelberg Castle is a must-see on any trip to Germany! During its full glory it was considered one of the most impressive in Germany and even today its ruins towering over the town below are still a striking sight. The original castle was completed in the 13^th century and has endured a serious of expansions, fires, attacks and rebuilding throughout the years. Today, you can visit the exterior grounds, with beautiful views of the valley below, but a private tour is required to visit the interior. Consult the Heidelburg Castle website for more information.

5. Stahleck Castle, Rhineland-Palatinate

Looking to go back in time to the Middle Ages? Have no fear! Stahleck Castle is now open as a youth hostel, dating back to the year 1135. Surrounded by peaceful woods with a beautiful view of the Lorelei Valley in the Rhine Gorge. The main streets near the castle has been restored to give an impression of what it may have looked like in the middle ages with cozy courtyards and wine taverns. Want to book a room? Click here.

Stay tuned for more of Germany’s most beautiful castles!

The Anne Frank House museum itself is located at Prinsengracht 263-267, right around the corner from the West Church in Amsterdam. The rear section, referred to as Achterhuis (Secret Annex), is where the young Jewish Anne Frank, her family and four others remained in hiding from Nazi persecution between June 14, 1942 and August 1, 1944.

Anne, Her Family and the Others in Hiding at the Anne Frank House

Anne Frank was born in the German town of Frankfurt am Main on June 12, 1929. Her early years were happy and carefree, but as Hitler began to rise to power, spreading his messages of anti-Semitism throughout, Anne’s parents began to fear persecution and thus decided to move to the Netherlands.

The family then decided to go into hiding the back area of Otto’s warehouse, along with the help of some of his employees, Johannes Kleiman and Victor Kugler and later Miep Gies and Bep Voskuijl, Miep’s husband Jan Gies and warehouse boss Johannes Voskuijl, Bep’s father. They are joined by another family, the Van Pels, and later another friend of Otto’s, Fritz Pfeffer. In total there were eight people that lived in hiding in the Secret Annex.

When visiting the actual location of the Secret Annex, you can only begin to imagine what life would have been like for eight people to live in such as small space, even though this was relatively large for people in hiding at the time. They had to stay very quiet, in fear of being discovered by the workers downstairs. Furthermore, they were completely dependent on the helpers, who would bring food, clothing, books and other necessities.

The entrance to the hiding place was behind a moveable bookshelf, which is still in the museum today.

Before going into hiding, Anne’s parents gave her a diary for her birthday. This would serve as her salvation during the time in hiding. She writes:

“The nicest part is being able to write down all my thoughts and feelings, otherwise I’d absolutely suffocate.”

The Diary Lives On

On August 4, 1944, the authorities are given an anonymous tip about the Secret Annex and they arrest all eight of the people in hiding, including two helpers Johannes Kleiman and Victor Kugler. Despite extensive investigations, it is still not clear who betrayed the families. After the families has been taken away, the two other helpers who were not arrested, Miep Gies and Bep Voskuijl, go up to the Secret Annex and save Anne’s diary.

Anne’s father Otto is the only one to survive the war. Upon returing to the Netherlands, he learns that his family has all died, he stays with Miep and Jan Gies and remains with them for another seven years. Miep gives Otto Anne’s diary, and when reading it he is completely moved by her words.

She expresses a desire for the writing to be published as a novel, and Otto wishes to fulfill this for his daughter. He contacts some historians, including Jan Romein, who writes a short article about Anne’s diary in the Dutch newspaper “Het Parool”, April 3, 1946.

“To me, however, this apparently inconsequential diary by a child… stammered out in a child’s voice, embodies all the hideousness of fascism, more so than all the evidence at Nuremberg put together.”

A few publishers are interested and on June 25, 1947 it is published in an edition of 3,000 copies. Today, Anne’s story has become world famous, published in countless languages all over the world.

The Anne Frank House Museum

In 1960, the Anne Frank House officially became a museum, and Otto Frank is heavily involved until his death in 1980. The Anne Frank House is the third most visited museum in the Netherlands, which is remarkable considering actually how small it is.

When I visited it was during the off-season for tourism so the wait was not extensive, but during the more popular months you can expect to wait for hours. This shouldn’t be a discouragement, however. It was one of the most interesting and moving museums that I have ever been to. It is so important that we continue to be reminded to the ramifications and suffering that can come from intolerance for others.

[Anne Frank]