Anne Frank tree saplings keep symbol of hope alive

Saplings from a tree that brought comfort to Anne Frank as she hid with her family from the Nazis, are being planted in an Amsterdam park, amid concerns about the health of the 150-year-old white horse chestnut.

The Jewish teenager mentioned the tree in the diary she wrote while cooped up in a concealed attic for more than two years during World War II. The diary became a worldwide best-seller after her death in a concentration camp in 1945.

"This tree has a special meaning for Amsterdam and also for people all over the world," said city councillor Marijke Vos, before planting 150 saplings given to the park on Friday.

"It is a symbol of hope and freedom, and with these saplings, we can share that hope and freedom with the whole world."

Following similar plantings in cities such as Paris and Madrid, Vos said there were also plans to plant a sapling near Ground Zero in New York, where nearly 3,000 people died in the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Centre.

The tree was one of the few signs of nature visible from the young diarist's stuffy hiding place.

"Our chestnut tree is in full blossom. It is covered with leaves, and is even more beautiful than last year," she wrote in May 1944, not long before she was betrayed to the Nazis.

Infected with fungus, it was set to be felled in 2007, due to concerns for the safety of the 1 million people who visit Anne Frank's house each year.

But officials and conservationists agreed to secure it with a frame expected to prolong its life for a few years.