Anne Frank, a Jewish girl born in Germany, became one of the most well-known victims of the Holocaust through her poignant diary, which detailed her life in hiding during the Nazi occupation. Anne and her family were captured by the Nazis in 1944 and sent to concentration camps.
Tragically, Anne died in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in February or March 1945, likely due to typhus, after enduring starvation, abuse, and unsanitary conditions that included exposure to lice.
Her death was just one of the countless horrors that occurred during the Holocaust, and at the time, it went largely unnoticed outside the camp.
However, her diary has since become a powerful symbol of the human cost of the Holocaust, preserving her voice and the stories of those who suffered alongside her.
Typhus, a disease transmitted by lice, causes severe symptoms including muscle pain, headaches, nausea, high fevers, rashes, and delirium.
In the dire conditions of concentration camps like Bergen-Belsen, where hygiene was poor and overcrowding was extreme, typhus became particularly lethal.
The disease often led to death within two to three weeks, exacerbated by malnutrition and unsanitary conditions.
Anne Frank’s final days were marked by extreme suffering. Her condition deteriorated rapidly, and she endured the physical and mental torment typical of severe typhus cases.
Reports suggest that her final hours were indeed horrifying, reflecting the brutal reality faced by many Holocaust victims.
Despite the grimness of her death, Anne Frank’s diary has immortalized her story, offering a poignant reminder of the human cost of the Holocaust.
“She was delirious, terrible, burning up. I gave her cold water to wash her down,” fellow prisoner Gena Turgel told in 2017, while recounting what happened to Anne Frank during her final days.
“We did not know she was special, but she was a lovely girl. I can still see her lying there with her face, which was so red as she had a breakout. And then she died.”
Anne Frank and her sister Margot died at Bergen-Belsen, likely from typhus. While initial reports and historical records indicated that they may have died in late March 1945, more recent research by the Anne Frank House suggests that they probably died in February. Margot was 19 years old, and Anne was 15.
The camp was liberated by British forces on April 15, 1945. During the early months of 1945, Bergen-Belsen saw a dramatic rise in deaths due to illness, starvation, and exhaustion, with an estimated 50,000 people dying.
Despite the tragic end to her life, Anne Frank’s diary, published posthumously, became a powerful testament to her experiences and the broader horrors of the Holocaust.
