Experience Matters

My Amsterdam Experience (no, not that one!)

I saw a post this week on Ad Rants that this is Holocaust Awareness Week . The print ads to accompany the communication shows a copy of the Anne Frank Diary labeled as fiction with the tag line “Millions of Americans don’t believer there was a Holocaust.” On a recent return trip from Switzerland, I met a friend in Amsterdam for a couple of days of R&R. Please keep your minds above the ground and out of the gutter for the purposes of this post. The experience I had while in Amsterdam that moved me to pen (or shall I say type) this prose out was not one I had in a coffee shop or down a dark alley. The Anne Frank House is in Amsterdam and I was able to go there and experience just how real the Holocaust was.

 While I don’t claim to be Oscar Schindler, the Anne Frank house is something that every Jewish child growing up heard about from the minute he or she was able to light the Menorah. In some ways, the two traditions are tied together. “You may have your present in one second Scott, but first listen to your Poppy tell you about a very sad story of a very brave girl.” Even with the high frequency of my taking in that story, it simply did not prepare me for seeing the actual home and learning about what Anne and her family went through. And as moving as it was to take all of that in, what made it even more impactful was the way in which you walk through the home and the channels provided to you that make the experience an optimal one.

If you don’t know the story of Anne Frank, the Anne Frank Organization has provided a wonderful site that can give you all the background you need. The house itself was a short walk from my hotel, one that took us along canals, shops, museums and more bikes than I could possibly count. As a side note, if you are ever in Amsterdam you have to go to Sara’s Pancake House. We had breakfast there before going to the house. Fantastic! Home made syrup that makes Aunt Jemima look like a novice. But I digress.

The house itself has not been restored, but rather they have added a museum in front of and on the side of it. Upon entering, and after paying a small entrance fee that goes to the Anne Frank society, you enter a room with two large flat panels mounted on the wall. A video is shown that gives you the overview of the ordeal, the family in hiding, the individual who worked for Otto Frank who helped keep the family hid and the story of how they were betrayed eventually and arrested. The short video is in English, but there are headsets in almost all languages that can be used at no additional cost.

In each room of what they called the “Secret Annex” there are large plaques that provide you the purpose of the room you are standing in as well as the individuals who helped hide the family. The front of the building was used for the office. A movable bookshelf, that is still there today, hid the back part of the house where The Frank’s hid. You are able to walk through the living rooms and bedrooms of what amounts to a one bedroom apartment that was shared by 8 people. Those 8 people, during normal work hours, were unable to speak, move or even use the restroom for fear of being found.

The Anne Frank Organization has managed to maintain an enormous amount of memorabilia. This includes, amongst other items, the original diary, drawings that Anne made, photos she put up in her room, a map used by the family to help keep track of the war and many other items that reinforce what a truly remarkable and tragic situation they found themselves in.

Interactive experiences are prominent through the 30 minute walk through the house. Perhaps the best use of a digital channel during my experience is an opportunity to create a “leaf” on a kiosk just before you exit the house. I created that leaf which now appears on the Anne Frank Tree Site. The tree site is a digital replica of a chestnut tree that Anne wrote about in her diary. During the creation of the leaf, you also have the opportunity to sign up for the Anne Frank newsletter.

If you are one of the people who believe the Holocaust did not happen, then I encourage you to spend some time reading Anne Frank’s story. That of course should happen after you check yourself into the nut house. Regardless of your beliefs, the Anne Frank House is an experience well worth the time. As well, it is an example of how digital extensions can help create an engaging environment even around content that has roots in something that is so far removed from a digital origin.