A court hearing in Amsterdam decided that many of the items currently on display at the Anne Frank House must be moved to Switzerland.

A bitter battle

The verdict signalled the end of an ongoing dispute between the Anne Frank House (a business enterprise) and the Anne Frank Fonds (a commemorative fund set up by Anne’s father in Basel).

The Anne Frank House had originally obtained the items, including many letters and over 10.000 photos, from the fund as part of a "lending agreement." But when the museum refused to relinquish these items, the Fonds launched a legal process.

They have been attempting to retrieve the documents since 2010, and have publicly criticised the Anne Frank House for commercialising the family’s history.

A new direction

The museum currently displays countless items which illustrate the experiences of Anne and her family during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. It attracts thousands of visitors and 14 million euros annually.

The fund wants certain documents to be given back, so that they can set-up a new museum in Frankfurt, Germany. The court ruled that the items being disputed must be returned to the Fonds in Basel by January 2014.
 

Source: The Jerusalem Post
Thumbnail by Flickr user Valerie Everett