His Majesty King Willem-Alexander opened the renewed Anne Frank House on 22 November.
Ronald Leopold, executive director of the Anne Frank House: 'The interest in a visit to the Anne Frank House is undiminished. We’re delighted with that, and it gives us hope. Half of the visitors are under 30 years old. For these young visitors in particular we decided on a chronological layout with more historical context in the new design of the museum. The history of the Frank family forms a window on the history of the Second World War and the Holocaust. We’ve retained the authentic character of the front and rear parts of the building; the primary focus is on the experience of the house and its significance.'
Audio tour
Visitors can learn about the history of the period in hiding by means of an audio tour in their own language. The audio tour is available in nine languages (Dutch, English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, French, Italian, Hebrew and Japanese) and is highly valued. Ronald Leopold: 'For a long time we were unsure whether we should introduce an audio tour – was that really appropriate for our museum? – but in practice it has worked out really well. Because everyone is listening to the story it is quiet in the house, despite it being full of visitors.'
Online tickets
In October 2017 the Anne Frank House switched to 100% online sales of tickets with a time slot. In this way the ticket sales could be attuned to the renewal work. Ronald Leopold: 'We’ve decided to carry on with 100% online ticket sales, but we do advise people to buy a ticket in good time: 80% of the tickets become available two months in advance, and 20% on the day itself.'
Opening hours
The Anne Frank House is open every day of the year apart from Yom Kippur, and the opening hours are long. During the Christmas period, from 20 to 30 December, the Anne Frank House is open from 9 AM to 10 PM.