Today was our final day in Amsterdam, and what an educational day it was! Both of our museum visits today related to the sad realities of the past where certain religions had to be practiced in hiding.
Our first stop of the day was at 10 AM, the Our Lord in the Attic museum. The museum takes you through the actual house of a Catholic merchant who lived in Amsterdam with his family in the 1600s. Catholicism was outlawed in the Netherlands during that time, only allowing Protestants to openly practice their religion. This merchant, Jan Hartman, purchased three houses that were combined into one, and on the top three floors, he constructed a beautiful chapel for himself, his family, and others looking to practice their Catholicism in secrecy and safety.
As a Catholic, it was truly very educational to see how this family was able to keep their religion and practice what they believed despite all of the forces trying to stop them. I especially appreciated the beautiful artwork behind the altar, depicting Jesus being baptized by John the Baptist. I also found it especially interesting that there was a room in the house for the priest to stay. Though, of course, a priest is very necessary in order to hold mass, I think it would be rather strange to have the priest live with me in my home, but then again, they also had the church in their home.
After the tour, we had a few hours to go out and get lunch and say goodbye to Amsterdam, and we reconvened at 5:30 to tour the Anne Frank House. The silence throughout the tour spoke volumes to the incredibly somber nature of Anne Frank’s story. I’ve done a pretty large amount of research on Anne Frank in the past, and I still was shocked by so many things displayed on the tour.
Understanding how physically close in proximity the eight residents of the secret annex were was truly eye opening. The fact they had to stay silent most of the day so as to not alert the workers below, while still performing daily chores and trying to live life as normally as possible came to light when we entered the Annex. I nearly tripped on the single flight of stairs more than once, I cannot imagine living there for years and having to be quiet while climbing such steep stairs. The experience showed me the incredibly difficult and fearful life that the Franks and the other residents of the annex led during World War 2, and yet Anne’s story is still heard around the world. Her journal is a symbol that even in the darkest of times, there can be some light.