Hermine Santrouschitz

A recent picture

Before I chose Hermine Santrouschitz (AKA Miep Gies) as my hero, I chose Anne Frank. As I started to do research on Anne I learned about Hermine and the things she did to help Anne Frank. I realized that Hermine really was my hero. Hermine was like a hero in disguise for me and made me realize that a hero doesn’t have to be known by everyone or famous.

Hermine Santrouschitz (Miep Gies) was born on February 15th, 1909 in Vienna, Austria. She lived in Vienna until she was 6 years old. When she suffered from malnutrition in World War 1, her family could not afford to have so many kids so Hermine was sent to live with a foster family in Amsterdam. Her foster family gave her the name Miep. When she was well again she chose to stay with her foster family.

when Miep was young

When Miep was older she decided to get a job. She eventually got one at a company called “Travis and Company”. When she met her boss (Otto Frank) they immediately became friends. He told her that he and his family had moved here to flee from the Nazi’s.

During this time she met a man named Henk Gies. They became good friends. But soon after she got a letter saying word had gotten around about how she had refused to join a Nazi women’s club and that her passport was invalid. It said she would have to return to Vienna within three months. Miep did not know what to do. She decided to talk to Otto Frank, who had the idea of photocopying the front of her passport, which said nothing about being invalid. So they sent it in and hoped for the best, which paid off since it did work. After that she married Henk Gies and the couple bought a small house together.

Miep with picture of Anne

Otto Frank later consulted her about his family going into hiding. He asked her if she would help his family by getting food and many other things they would need. She agreed and later in an interview said “I could foresee many sleepless nights and unhappy life if I refused”.

After the Frank's and another family went into hiding Miep would go to the “Secret Annex” several times a day to bring food and even presents on holidays! She became closest with Anne and Otto. Anne was definitely the most talkative to her.

Miep helped the two families until 1945 when they were betrayed by the Gestapo and arrested by the Nazis. After they were taken away, Miep sadly went back to the annex to gather some things that were not taken away by the Nazis, including Anne’s diary. Miep and her husband could only wait for the news of their friends.

In 1945 Otto Frank was liberated and was free to return to Amsterdam. But was sadly told the news that the rest of his family had died, Miep then showed him Anne’s diary. Otto was later convinced by publishers to publish the diary.

After the war Miep stayed in Amsterdam with her husband, until her husband died. Miep still lives in Amsterdam in the same house she and her husband bought when they first got married.

Miep Gies was very brave and did everything she could to help the two families for two years! She inspires me to think of other people before myself and that is why she is my hero.