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The plight of Jews like the Franks, forced into hiding by the Nazis, was brought to light by Anne’s poignant diary; the house where they hid for 25 months is now a museum (see Anne Frankhuis).

This remarkable museum represents all aspects of Judaism and the history and culture of the Jews who settled in the Netherlands. On show are some marvellous paintings by Jewish artists, fascinating displays about the diamond industry, and exhibits that bring home the true horror of the Holocaust(see Joods Historisch Museum).

Inspired by the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem, Elias Bouman’s bulky red-brick synagogue is still the core of the small Sephardic community for whom it was built in 1675. The massive wooden barrel-vaulted ceiling is lit by more than 1,000 candles(see Portugees-Israëlitische Synagoge).

When the Jews arrived in Amsterdam in the late 16th century, they moved into a lacklustre area to the east of Oude Zijde, around present-day Waterlooplein. Although several synagogues, diamond factories and street markets have survived, the heart of the Jodenbuurt was decimated by post-war redevelopment and the building of the Metro.

Mari Andriessen’s evocative bronze statue (1952) is a memorial to the dockers’ and transport workers’ strike of February 1941 over the arrest of 450 Jews for the killing of a Nazi sympathizer. The event is commemorated every 25 February.

Jewish families were rounded up at this operetta theatre before being transported to the death camps. A moving memorial and a small exhibition of memorabilia keep their memory alive (see Hollandsche Schouwburg).

This extraordinary 1921 theatre was the creation of its obsessive owner, Abraham Tuschinski, a Jewish emigré who died at Auschwitz. The sumptuous interior crosses Art Deco with the Orient (see Tuschinski Theater).

Dedicated to the women of Ravensbrück, one of the most disturbing of the city’s Holocaust memorials (1975) incorporates a sinister soundtrack and eerily flashing lights.

The Resistance Museum’s brilliant displays give a vivid sense of life in an occupied country, as well as an insight into the ingenious activities of the Dutch Resistance. Exhibits include photographs, heartrending letters thrown from deportation trains, film clips and room sets (see Verzetsmuseum).

In stark contrast to its peaceful surroundings, Jan Wolkers’ Auschwitz memorialNever More features a slab of shattered glass. The fragments reflect a distorted view of the heavens, mirroring the damage done to humanity by the Holocaust.