Miep Gies, the woman who hid Anne Frank dies at 100 years of age

Miep Gies

At the time of Nazi Germany Miep Gies attempted to shelter two families from the concentration camps. The families included Anne Frank, her father, mother and older sister and four other Dutch Jews. Mrs. Gies hid the families for 25 months. After the Gestapo raided their small hiding place in the annex to Otto Frank’s business office on Aug. 4, 1944, Miep kept Anne's diary safe. Mrs. Gies kept the loose sheets of paper in hope that Anne would return to retrieve them.

Anne Frank Remembered was published in 1987. Within the pages of this book Mrs. Gies stated that she believes she was not a hero. “I stand at the end of the long, long line of good Dutch people who did what I did and more — much more — during those dark and terrible times years ago, but always like yesterday in the heart of those of us who bear witness.”


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The Frank Family

Anne’s father, Otto Frank was the only surviving member of the Frank family. Otto Frank was freed and returned to Amsterdam at the end of World War II. Anne Frank had died at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp three months before her 16th birthday. Her sister, Margot, died at the same camp at age 19. Anne and Margot's mother Edith Frank, died at Auschwitz.

Mrs. Gies gave Anne’s writings to Otto Frank, and they were first published in the Netherlands in 1947. The book was an abridged version entitled “Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl”.

Miep Gies

According the the New York Times, it wasn't until an American writer named Alison Leslie Gold, persuaded Mrs. Geis to tell her story that the public learned about Mrs. Geis background. In “Anne Frank Remembered” Miep Giese was born Feb. 15, 1909, as Hermine Santrouschitz, in Vienna. At 11, she was sent to Leiden to be cared for by a Dutch family. She was given the Dutch nickname Miep and later adopted by the family.

At 13, the family moved to Amsterdam, and in 1933 she became a secretary to Otto Frank. Mr. Frank was overseeing the Dutch branch of a German company selling an ingredient for manufacturing jam. Mr. Frank had fled Nazi Germany with his family.

Miep became a employee and friend of the Frank family. In 1942, Dutch Jews were being deported to concentration camps. The Frank family went into hiding in rooms above Mr. Frank’s office.

Mrs. Gies, while continuing to work for Mr. Frank’s business, which remained open under figurehead Christian management aided the family by bringing food, books and news of the outside world.

During World War II's final months Mrs. Gies lived as a homemaker. After her memoir was published she began to travel and speak in classrooms to children who were learning about Anne Frank's story.

Mrs. Gies is survived by her son, Paul, and three grandchildren. Her husband died in 1993.

Otto Frank died in Basel, Switzerland, in 1980.

The building housing the secret annex, at Prinsengracht 263, has become a museum.

To read the full New York Times article click here.

As mentioned earlier the annex has now become a museum. To learn more visit the official website at www.annefrank.org.

The website has many features including a live webcam which views the annex 24 hours a day. So, even if you can't visit the Anne Frank house in person you can view the outside of it at any time.