Miep Gies - Early Life

Early Life

Born Hermine Santruschitz in Vienna, (later spelled as Santrouschitz in the Netherlands), she was transported to Leiden from Vienna in December 1920 to escape the food shortages prevailing in Austria after World War I. The Nieuwenburg family took her as their foster daughter, and called her by the diminutive Miep by which she became known. In 1922, she moved with her foster family to Amsterdam. In 1933, she met Otto Frank when she applied for the post of temporary secretary in his company, Opekta. The company sold a pectin preparation used for making jams. She initially ran the complaints and information desk in Opekta, and was eventually promoted to a more general administrative role. She became a close friend of the Frank family, as did Jan Gies, her long-time fiancé. After refusing to join a Nazi women's association, her passport was invalidated and she was ordered to be deported within ninety days back to Austria (by then a part of Germany, and by default she was a German Citizen). The couple were married as quickly as possible on 16 July 1941 so that she could obtain Dutch citizenship, and thus evade deportation. Her knowledge of Dutch and German helped the Frank family assimilate into Dutch society, and she and her husband became regular guests at the Franks' home. \\