Bep Boon-van der Starp
Bep Boon-van der Starp was a Dutch resistance fighter and the creative force for the construction of Madurodam.
Early life and marriage
Bertha van der Starp was born in Maassluis on 31 January 1884. She was married to lawyer with whom she had 2 children. The couple were active in the Liberal Union.World War II
Before and during World War II the couple helped Jews escape from Austria. In 1938 Starp founded the Hague Committee for Refugees. In 1940 the couple fled to the United Kingdom with their son. Their daughter stayed in Leiden, active as a member of the student resistance.Fundraising
The Boon-van der Starps returned to the Netherlands after the war. In 1947, Starp chaired the welfare board of the Nederlands Studenten Sanatorium which was located in Laren and served as a hospital to treat students with tuberculosis. In order to raise operating funds for the hospital, Starp headed the creation of Madurodam. Madurodam was a visitor attraction in built in The Hague. It is a miniature city which opened in 1952. It was named in honour of George Maduro a Dutch war hero, with funds provided by his parents.Starp died in The Hague on 9 October 1959. In 1962 the Bep Boon-van der Starp Memorial was dedicated on the grounds of Madurodam.