Wilhelm van Maaren
Encyclopedia
Wilhelm Gerardus van Maaren (August 10, 1895- November 28, 1971) was the person who was the most suspected for being the betrayer of Anne Frank
. During the arrest of Anne Frank
and the people who hid with her took place, van Maaren worked as the manager of the warehouse of Opekta
and Gies & Co, of whose buildings the Secret Annex was situated.
at the building of 263 Prinsengracht in the spring of 1943, just after Johannes Hendrik Voskuijl
, the previous manager, was admitted to hospital because of his sickness. None of the office workers, including Miep Gies
and Victor Kugler
, used to like van Maaren. From the beginning, he used to steal products from the warehouse, and at one stage, he began to suspect about the Secret Annex. He began to set up small traps in the building, to ensure whether people walked in the building at night or not. His sly nature brought everyone a special dislike towards him, and Anne openly criticized him in her diary. Van Maaren was most of the time trying to discover who lives in the building next to them. The building next to them was actually the back part of the same building where Opekta offices were situated. The Secret Annex Annex was situated in the back part of 263 Prinsengracht. Near May or June 1944, van Maaren informed his fellow worker Lammert Hartog that he knew that Jews
were hiding in the building of 263 Prinsengracht.
On August 4, 1944, the Jews
hiding in the Secret Annex were arrested, although van Maaren seemed puzzled at this. Van Maaren later helped Miep Gies
and Bep Voskuijl
to rescue the diary papers and manuscripts of Anne Frank
.
But he was caught getting information from Anton Alhers trying to blackmail Otto Frank.
Anne Frank
Annelies Marie "Anne" Frank is one of the most renowned and most discussed Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Acknowledged for the quality of her writing, her diary has become one of the world's most widely read books, and has been the basis for several plays and films.Born in the city of Frankfurt...
. During the arrest of Anne Frank
Anne Frank
Annelies Marie "Anne" Frank is one of the most renowned and most discussed Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Acknowledged for the quality of her writing, her diary has become one of the world's most widely read books, and has been the basis for several plays and films.Born in the city of Frankfurt...
and the people who hid with her took place, van Maaren worked as the manager of the warehouse of Opekta
Opekta
Opekta was a business run from 1933 to 1995, founded by Anne Frank's father Otto Frank, which distributed a pectin-based gelling preparation, to be used in jam making...
and Gies & Co, of whose buildings the Secret Annex was situated.
Life as the warehouse manager
Van Maaren joined as the warehouse manager of OpektaOpekta
Opekta was a business run from 1933 to 1995, founded by Anne Frank's father Otto Frank, which distributed a pectin-based gelling preparation, to be used in jam making...
at the building of 263 Prinsengracht in the spring of 1943, just after Johannes Hendrik Voskuijl
Johannes Hendrik Voskuijl
Johannes Hendrik Voskuijl was one of the people who helped to hide :Anne Frank and her family and friends. He is known as "Mr Vossen" in the earliest editions of Anne's posthumously published :diary, but all people in the diary have their real names restored in all versions printed since...
, the previous manager, was admitted to hospital because of his sickness. None of the office workers, including Miep Gies
Miep Gies
Miep Gies was one of the Dutch citizens who hid Anne Frank, her family and several family friends in an attic annex above Anne's father's place of business from the Nazis during World War II...
and Victor Kugler
Victor Kugler
Victor Kugler was one of the people who helped hide Anne Frank and her family and friends during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. In Anne Frank's posthumously published diary, The Diary of a Young Girl, he was referred to under the name Mr...
, used to like van Maaren. From the beginning, he used to steal products from the warehouse, and at one stage, he began to suspect about the Secret Annex. He began to set up small traps in the building, to ensure whether people walked in the building at night or not. His sly nature brought everyone a special dislike towards him, and Anne openly criticized him in her diary. Van Maaren was most of the time trying to discover who lives in the building next to them. The building next to them was actually the back part of the same building where Opekta offices were situated. The Secret Annex Annex was situated in the back part of 263 Prinsengracht. Near May or June 1944, van Maaren informed his fellow worker Lammert Hartog that he knew that Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
were hiding in the building of 263 Prinsengracht.
On August 4, 1944, the Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
hiding in the Secret Annex were arrested, although van Maaren seemed puzzled at this. Van Maaren later helped Miep Gies
Miep Gies
Miep Gies was one of the Dutch citizens who hid Anne Frank, her family and several family friends in an attic annex above Anne's father's place of business from the Nazis during World War II...
and Bep Voskuijl
Bep Voskuijl
Elisabeth "Bep" Voskuijl helped conceal Anne Frank and her family from Nazi persecution during the occupation of the Netherlands.Bep was born in :Amsterdam...
to rescue the diary papers and manuscripts of Anne Frank
Anne Frank
Annelies Marie "Anne" Frank is one of the most renowned and most discussed Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Acknowledged for the quality of her writing, her diary has become one of the world's most widely read books, and has been the basis for several plays and films.Born in the city of Frankfurt...
.
Suspicion for being the betrayer
In several investigations after the war, van Maaren was the most suspected person to be the betrayer of Anne Frank. Van Maaren openly denied about being the betrayer, and it was finally declared that there was no real evidence about who was the original betrayer.But he was caught getting information from Anton Alhers trying to blackmail Otto Frank.