Work began today on a support construction which is intended to save the mould-infected horse chestnut tree in Amsterdam which Anne Frank looked out at from an attic window when she and her family were in hiding from the Nazi occupiers of the Netherlands in World War Two.
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Alternative plan
The tree was due to be cut down on 21 November 2007 but was granted a two-month stay of execution with just one day to spare, giving the newly-founded Support Anne Frank Tree foundation the chance to come up with an alternative plan.
After weeks of judicial wrangling, expert reports, an on-site inspection by the court and international mass-media attention, the tree - the only thing Anne Frank could see from her hiding-place except for the sky - was ultimately granted a ‘reprieve'.
Aggressive fungus
Botanists have calculated that the tree could stay standing for a further five to 15 years with the necessary support. It is suffering from an aggressive fungus known as "Artist's Conk". Three years ago, the tree's crown was drastically trimmed to make it more stable. A study concluded that 42 percent of the wood was rotten.
 Monday, 7 April 2008: A crane lifts rubble to make way for the support structure. The tree itself is in a garden on the lower right of this photo, the back of the museum is at the left, with the tower 'the Westertoren' standing behind it. Anne Frank could hear the tower's bells ringing. (ANP photo) |
The Anne Frank Foundation says the construction should be completed before May this year, when the 31-tonne horse chestnut will start budding thus increasing the chance that its trunk could break under the weight. However, tests have indicated that the chestnut is still strong enough to withstand a Force 11 gale.
The support construction will cost 50,000 euros. Funds have already been donated by private individuals and local businesses to cover the costs, and the firms carrying out the actual work are either doing so free of charge or at reduced rates. However, the Support Anne Frank Tree foundation has still to raise another 20,000 euros for further work on the crown, and an amount of some 10,000 euros will be needed each year for the tree's continued maintenance.
Meanwhile, the owner of the tree still holds a permit to cut it down should all else fail.
* source: ANP
Tags: Amsterdam, Amsterdam council, Anne Frank, Anne Frank foundation, Anne Frank's tree, Holocaust, Nazis, Second World War, World War Two