The First Steps into Hiding
The morning of Monday, July 6, 1942, was not a morning for suitcases. In the early hours, Edith Frank woke her daughter Anne at half-past five. The plan was to dress in layers, putting on as many clothes as possible to avoid arousing suspicion. Their escape had to look like a simple outing, not a permanent departure.
The first to leave was Margot. At half-past seven, Miep Gies arrived to escort her. In a small act of defiance, Margot had already removed the yellow Star of David from her jacket. She left with Miep on a bicycle, a simple departure that masked a monumental event.
Soon after, Otto, Edith, and Anne followed on foot. It was a journey of heartbreaking goodbyes. Anne had to leave her beloved cat, Moortje, behind, entrusting her care to a neighbor. The walk itself was long and tense, and it was only on their way that Anne learned their destination: the hiding place would be in Otto’s business at Prinsengracht 263.
After an hour of walking, they finally arrived. They found a nervous Margot waiting for them, a quiet testament to the fear and uncertainty of their new reality. The family, now confined to a small, secret space, was about to begin a two-year ordeal that would be filled with both immense challenges and quiet moments of hope.