Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial

770 S. 8th St., Boise

The Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial is a .81-acre educational park inspired by Anne Frank's faith in humanity.
Learn more and take a virtual tour on this website.  

Location

800 S 8th St

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Smoking Prohibition

Smoking and vaping are prohibited in all City of Boise parks, including within 20 feet of the Boise River Greenbelt, except in designated areas within Ann Morrison and Julia Davis Parks and at city-owned golf courses.

Towing

Unauthorized vehicles will be towed at owner's risk and expense. You can contact Boise Valley Towing by calling (208) 389-9707.

An inspirational and contemplative site adjacent to the Boise River Greenbelt, the park is maintained by Boise Parks and Recreation in partnership with the Wassmuth Center for Human Rights.

Kurt Karst, an Idaho Falls architect, designed the Memorial to integrate the beauty of natural elements- water, stone, and native plants-with a message of hope.

About the Park

Built by the Idaho Human Rights Education Center, the privately funded memorial opened on Aug. 16, 2002, as a gift to the City of Boise. The Idaho Human Rights Education Center was renamed the Wassmuth Center for Human Rights in 2014, in honor of the late Bill Wassmuth, a human rights activist and leader of the Northwest Coalition Against Malicious Harassment.

For more detail and photographs of the Memorial, visit the Wassmuth Center.

Wassmuth Center for Human Rights

The mission of the Wassmuth Center for Human Rights is to “promote respect for human dignity and diversity through education and to foster individual responsibility to work for justice and peace.” The Center achieves this mission by providing educational programs for teachers and students, engaging in community leadership, partnering with business and industry, and advocating for human rights.

The Quote Wall

The 180-foot Quote Wall takes you on a walk through history. The words of presidents and slaves, children and philosophers, poets and paupers, the famous and the unknown are inscribed side by side.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

On December 10, 1948, the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the inalienable rights and fundamental freedoms of all people. Eleanor Roosevelt was chair of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights, which wrote this document promoting social progress, freedom and better standards of life.

Bethine and Frank Church Writing Table

Frank Church served as an Idaho Senator from 1957 to 1981. He was instrumental in the passage of the first Civil Rights Bill since Reconstruction. Until her death in 2013, Bethine continued his legacy and was active in numerous civic activities. A bronze representation of Anne's diary is located on the table.

Anne Frank Statue

From the amphitheater there is a view of the life-size bronze statue of Anne Frank. The sculptor, Greg Stone, from Northampton, Massachusetts cast Anne as if she were pulling back an imaginary curtain and gazing out a window from the family's attic hiding place. Funded largely by the students of Idaho, the names of 44 participating schools are on pavers in the area near the Church Writing Table.

Stone Bookcase

Anne and her family, as well as four other Jews, hid for more than two years until they were betrayed, arrested and sent to concentration camps. The markings behind the statue depict rooms in the cramped hiding place. A wooden staircase, much steeper than the stairs at the Memorial, was hidden by a movable bookcase. The quotes on the stone bookcase were taken from Anne's diary.

The Cityscape Wall and Butterfly Poem

The wall closest to the Boise River is reminiscent of Amsterdam where Anne Frank Lived. "The Butterfly" was written by Pavel Friedmann while he was imprisoned n the Terezin Concentration Camp near Prague. Of the 15,000 children who entered Terezin, only 100 survived. Friedmann died in Auschwitz in 1944.

Donor Walls and Pavers

The names of our major donors are on the donor tablets near the Church Writing Table. The pavers were purchased by donors prior to the start of construction. Pavers can still be purchased and placed at the Memorial. We urge you to read the thoughts of our donors on the benches, seats and pavers.

Anne Frank Chestnut Sapling

The Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial in Boise has been named one of only 11 United States sites to receive a sapling from the actual Anne Frank Chestnut Tree in Amsterdam. The sapling is planted in the Memorial.

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