A big chestnut tree that sits in the middle of a lot of buildings in Amsterdam has been talked about a lot over recent years. Some felt like it was time to remove the tree and open up the space the tree was taking up. Others felt the tree was not safe for visitors, who were going to the office building, in which Anne Frank and her family was hiding in the attic from Nazi German soldiers. On the other side of the debate was the supporters of Anne Frank and they wanted to see the tree stay up, since the big tree brought happiness to Anne; while she was a young teen growing up in a very small space for over 2 years of her life.

Famous Anne Frank Tree

The big chestnut tree has been standing strong for over 150 years now. It was well in the ground and growing high toward the sky, long before the Frank family went into hiding and before Hitler started invading his neighbors in Europe. The tree has remained firm in its original setting, since Otto Frank and his family got betrayed and sent off to prison camps. The tree survived long past Hitler’s reign of terror on the Jews and even continue to grow as the new millenium finally arrived in the year 2000. However, just a short decade later and in the month of August and in the year 2010; the 150+ year old Anne Frank Tree finally met its match. It was Mother Nature who would solve the Anne Frank chestnut tree debate, as she poured soaking rains into the Amsterdam area. The moist ground, which the famous Amsterdam tree had its roots firmly planted, finally gave way to the high winds and all of the stress being caused by the towering tree. The beloved tree that would cheer up the famous young girl, based on her entries into her diary, we all know about now is just a memory, as the clean-up process begins to remove the 150 year-old tree.

In some ways this tree will continue to grow. There have been a number of saplings taken from the tree over the years and a lot of them are growing all over the World. This famous chestnut tree is actually growing more now than it ever did during it’s 150 year-old life on Earth. This historic Amsterdam tree is like a mother for so many offspring trees which in some cases will be around for another 150 years or more. We can all shed a small tear today, knowing the Anne Frank tree will no longer stand tall in front of the Amsterdam office building. At the same time, we can crack a smile knowing the saplings from the Anne Frank tree are still very much alive and will grow long after the August, 2010 death of the original Anne Frank tree.

-IN LOVING MEMORY OF ANNE FRANK -

Born June 12th, 1929 and Died Sometime in Early March in a Nazi Concentration Camp in 1945