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Kuno van der Horst

Kuno van der Horst was a student who was in hiding with Jan and Miep Gies.

Person

  • Kuno Lodewijk van der Horst
  • Born on: March 24, 1920
  • Born in: Hilversum, Nederland
  • Died on: May 17, 1968
  • Died in: Dallas, TX, USA

Kuno van der Horst was a student who was in hiding with Jan and Miep Gies at 25 Hunzestraat. In Miep's autobiography he is called Karel van der Hart. He was a son of engineer Hendrik van der Horst and Catharina van der Horst-Rambonnet. His father was director of the Lemet Chromium company.

Kuno attended the Baarnsch Lyceum, where he met his later wife Henny. He was not good at languages, but he was good at maths and physics. This brought him to the Technical High School in Delft. Because of eye problems he was declared unfit for military service.[1]

When the German authorities demanded a declaration of loyalty from students in March 1943, he refused to sign it. This meant that he was in danger of being ordered to perform work for the Germans. He lived on the premises of his father's factory, so that he could work there without having to walk the streets.[2] His mother arranged for him to go into hiding with Jan and Miep Gies.

According to Miep's memories, he once went to the horse races from Amsterdam. There, during a security check, he was asked for his address by unknown authorities. It is said he gave the address of Jan and Miep Gies. They then decided that it was too dangerous to let him stay.[3] He then stayed with his mother for some time. However, her house was requisitioned for use by German officers on 3 November 1943.[4]

After the liberation, his father, who built up an overseas branch of Lemet Chromium during his stay in America, returned to the Netherlands. Kuno, in turn, took over the management there. By now married to his childhood sweetheart, he moved to America, and lived there until his death.[1]

 Bron persoonsgegevens.[5]

Footnotes

  1. a, b Mededeling van Marianne Kunz-van der Horst in gesprek met Gertjan Broek en Teresien da Silva (Anne Frank Stichting),  Amsterdam, 18 april 2018.
  2. ^ Privébezit familie Kunz: “Memories of Kuno L. van der Horst”, ongedateerd, transcriptie uit 2017-’18.
  3. ^ Miep Gies en Alison Leslie Gould, Herinneringen aan Anne Frank. Het verhaal van Miep Gies, de steun en toeverlaat van de famiie Frank in het Achterhuis, Amsterdam: Bert Bakker, 1987, p. 172-174.
  4. ^ Privébezit familie Kunz: “Catharina van der Horst Memoirs WOII”, ongedateerd, transcriptie 2017-’18.
  5. ^ H.P. van den Aardweg, J.P.J.C. Hüllstrung (red.), Persoonlijkheden in het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden in woord en beeld. Nederlanders en hun werk, Amsterdam: Van Holkema & Warendorf, 1938, p. 700; Overlijdensbericht van directie en personeel, Algemeen Handelsblad, 18 mei 1968