Biographies

Hermann van Daan

About Hermann

In her diary, Anne gave the Van Pels family the pseudonym Van Daan. Hermann was born in Osnabrück, Germany on 31 March 1898, one of six siblings.

Before the Secret Annex

Hermann worked in his father's butchers business, but this was sold at a great loss in 1933 after the introduction of laws by the Nazi Party, which forced people to boycott all Jewish businesses.

Hermann and the family fled to Amsterdam in 1937, and Herman joined Otto Frank's company in 1938 as a specialist in herbs and sausage production.

During the Secret Annex

After failing to secure a permit to emigrate to the United States to join Hermann's sisters, the family joined the Franks in the secret annex. Anne found the relationship between Hermann and his wife both fascinating and infuriating, often writing how she would never understand grown-ups.

After the Secret Annex

Following the raid on the annex, all the occupants were taken to Westerbork camp and then transferred to Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Hermann was assigned to hard labour, but following an injury he was moved to another group, who were then sent to the gas chamber. His 17-year-old son Peter, watched as his father was led away with the group, to later see only their clothes return on a truck.