Miep Gies, the last survivor from a small group of people who helped the Frank family during World War II, passed away last week. She would have turned 101 years old next month.

One of the more important icons in Dutch history is Anne Frank. I really won’t go into the greater details of the story for you here, since I always and without fail start crying. But you’ve probably heard of Anne Frank’s diary, and the family that stayed for two years hidden in a house on the Prinsengracht in Amsterdam. You can go visit it nowadays; it has been preserved as a monument and the house is kept just as it was when the Frank family resided there during the war. It is a very intense experience.

In Dutch, Anne Frank’s diary is called “Het Achterhuis,” and I highly recommend giving it a shot in Dutch. It’s been translated into many languages, but there is something particularly moving about reading it in the language it was originally written in. It’s also beautifully written and truly is a work of literature written by such a young woman. Through her writing you can see Anne Frank’s insight, kindness, and intelligence shine through, despite all the horrible things happening around her.

Miep Gies is the reason we are so lucky to have Anne Frank’s diary at all. After the war, Miep found the diary hidden in the house. She handed it over to Anne Frank’s father Otto, who survived the war. Without her discovery, the world may never have known the story of the little girl who grew into a woman hidden away behind a canal with her family during the most awful of times. Furthermore, Miep Gies helped the family a great deal while they lived in that house, and without her help they may never have survived as long as they did. Due to her kindness and strength during those difficult years, a small family managed to hold out hope for as long as possible.

If you are interested in Miep Gies, there is a website with plenty more information here:

http://www.miepgies.nl/miepgies.html (Link opens in a separate window)

available in Dutch, English and German.

The Netherlands has lost an amazing woman in Miep Gies, but thanks to that woman the story can continue to be told. No one will forget what has happened and maybe we can all learn just a little more from the little girl who grew into a woman while hidden away from the world.