The monumental chestnut tree had been a source of inspiration. During Anne Frank’s captivity and attempt to hide from the invading Nazi forces, she’d often look out on the tree and be comforted and inspired by its presence. It features prominently in her eponymous diary, which details how she and her family hid from the Nazis for two years in an attic. Now, the forces of time and wind have done what the Nazis could not, and Anne Frank’s chestnut tree has toppled.
The tree blew over during a windstorm yesterday, in spite of the presence of a steel supporting framework that couldn’t support the tree’s weight. It wasn’t in the best of health anyway. Officials in Amsterdam ordered it cut down in 2007, and it was only after public outcry that the effort to remove the tree for safety purposes was halted. The tree was under attack from both sides, as it was infested with horse chestnut leaf miners and was the victim of a nasty, aggressive fungus.
Still, as bad off as the tree was, it’s a shame to see that they couldn’t save it. History should be preserved somehow. Maybe they should plant a new chestnut tree (from one of the old tree’s seeds) on the spot to commemorate the old tree’s history.
Tags: Anne Frank, chestnut tree, horse chestnut leaf miner, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Anne Frank Museum, Anne Frank chestnut tree falls, Anne Frank’s chestnut tree blows over in a storm, historic trees
