Perhaps the only sobering thing about Amsterdam is the Anne Frank House. When I went over there in 2007, I took the tour and I must say it was amazing. It was truly shocking to see how they lived and what they did to survive under the Nazi’s.

This is from the official Anne Frank website, about This Day in History,

It is August 4, 1944, a lovely sunny day. An anonymous tip arrives that morning by telphone at the headquarters of the Sicherheitsdienst (SD or Security Police). The SD-officer in charge, Julius Deetman, takes the call and orders the officer on duty SS-Oberscharführer Karl Silberbauer to the Prinsengracht. Four Dutch Nazis go with him to assist. Silberbauer and a few of his men go into the warehouse on the ground floor of the building. They approach the ware-houseman Van Maaren who points in silence, indicating upstairs.

To read the whole story about the events of August 4, 1944, click here.

The official Anne Frank website is here.