Anne’s Amsterdam, a mobile app from the Anne Frank House, allows users to explore the city while learning about the local World War II history. In cooperation with multimedia companies Repudo and LBi, the Anne Frank House released the app in May to make the city’s history more interactive and accessible to locals and tourists alike.

Available in Dutch, English and German for smartphones with iOS, Android and WP7, the app’s GPS takes users on a tour of 30 sites, blending contemporary photographs with historical images while imparting tidbits about Anne Frank’s life. Sites include the Jewish quarter and Anne’s Jewish school, which she attended in 1941 after Jews were banned from mainstream schools. Archival footage and images depict Anne and her friends at the Merwedeplein, a historic square in Amsterdam, and German troops later entering the city.

The museum's digital media manager, Ita Amahorseija, explains that the goal of the app was to make Anne Frank’s story relevant for those living in Amsterdam today.

“What we wanted was to get people to make a connection between the past and present. So when they are standing at central station or near their own house, and they see this picture within the context of the street as it is now, they will realize that this really happened,” Amahorseija said to DW.

Critics worry that the technological trickery might cheapen Anne’s iconic story.