Wooden toys from the Frank-Elias family household, 1930s

Education at the Frank Family Center

The Familie Frank Zentrum (the Frank Family Centre) intends to increase public awareness of the history of the Frank family. This educational effort draws on historical research based on the collection, documents, and photographs. The range of formats extends from exhibitions, workshops, lectures and readings to digital educational services.

Online Exhibition "The history of the Family of Anne Frank"

This exhibition on the Google Arts & Culture platform offers a glimpse of the world of Anne Frank’s ancestors. The visuals include family photos and snapshots, paintings, and objects that once belonged to the family and are now preserved in The Frank Family Centre. The exhibition is suitable for both adults and children who would like to learn more about Anne Frank, her predecessors, and Jewish life in Frankfurt.

For School Classes: Strong Roots in the Judengasse

Children's workshop in the Museum Judengasse
Children's workshop in the Museum Judengasse

Süßkind Stern was an ancestor of the Frank family. His portrait in the Museum Judengasse is the oldest extant likeness of a Frankfurt Jew. This painting is an inspiring starting point for school classes to engage with the world of the Judengasse around 1700. Possible key topics: everyday life in the Gasse, relationships with Frankfurt's Christian citizens and religious life. This service is aimed at schoolchildren from the 4th grade upwards.

The Frank Family in Our New Permanent Exhibition

In October 2020, the Jewish Museum will be opening its new permanent exhibitio, in which the Frank family plays an important part. Their exclusive exhibition space offers the general public an opportunity to learn more about the everyday life, impact, and life paths of this family through several generations. Objects and documents from the family estate bring to life the world in which the family lived. There is a special focus on Otto Frank, for it is thanks to his efforts that the diary of his daughter Anne Frank became world famous. There will be special activities for children throughout the Frank family room.

Lectures, Workshops, and Other Offers About the Frank Family

Since its inception, The Frank Family Centre has been actively involved in events connected to the Frank family. In 2015 we supported the reading festival Frankfurt liest ein Buch (Frankfurt Reads a Book), with Mirjam Pressler’s book Grüße und Küsse (Greetings and Kisses) at the center, accompanied by a thematically related symposium. The theme here was "Jewish educational awareness and self-conception as citizens" with a focus on Anne Frank’s relatives Moritz, Alfred, and Clara Stern. A further emphasis was on the banker Michael Frank and the bank he founded in 1885.

In 2016, we offered a workshop at the Pop Up Boats in collaboration with the Pedagogical Center, where participants could read moving letters from the Frank family correspondence. In 2017 the annual Anne Frank Day on June 12 was called into being, co-arranged by The Frank Family Centre. In 2018 we organized a scenic reading from the Anne Frank Graphic Diary on this day, and were involved in presenting an online exhibition about the Frank family.

Partners of the Frank Family Center

  • <svg class="a-svg-icon a-svg-icon--links-external o-media-copy__copy-external-link-icon" aria-hidden="true" data-js-module="a-svg-icon" data-js-sprite-path="/typo3conf/ext/website/Resources/Public/svg-sprites/links.svg"><use xlink:href="#links-external" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" /></svg>Pädagogisches Zentrum
  • <svg class="a-svg-icon a-svg-icon--links-external o-media-copy__copy-external-link-icon" aria-hidden="true" data-js-module="a-svg-icon" data-js-sprite-path="/typo3conf/ext/website/Resources/Public/svg-sprites/links.svg"><use xlink:href="#links-external" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" /></svg>Bildungsstätte Anne Frank
  • <svg class="a-svg-icon a-svg-icon--links-external o-media-copy__copy-external-link-icon" aria-hidden="true" data-js-module="a-svg-icon" data-js-sprite-path="/typo3conf/ext/website/Resources/Public/svg-sprites/links.svg"><use xlink:href="#links-external" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" /></svg>Anne Frank Fonds Basel

Please get in touch with us if you are planning projects on this theme and are interested in collaborating with The Frank Family Centre.