2011 in the Netherlands

Incumbents

• Monarch: Beatrix
• Prime Minister: Mark Rutte

  Events

January

• 1: The BES-islands exchange their Antillean guilder for the American dollar.
• 5: In Moerdijk 23.500 liters of toxic and corrosive liquids escape during a large fire on the Chemie-Pack property.
• 8: Feyenoord says farewell to soccer legend Coen Moulijn.
• 11: A month after quitting as party chair of GreenLeft Femke Halsema leaves Congress.

  February

• 1: Air-defense and Command-frigate Hr. Ms. Tromp leaves her home port of Den Helder towards the waters around Somalia to take part in the anti-piracy mission Atalanta.
• 11: Karlo Timmerman wins the alternative elfstedentocht on the Austrian Weissensee over a length of 200 kilometers. Mariska Huisman wins the woman's division.
• 28: 3 crew-members of a military helicopter are captured by Libyan militias. They flew with their Lynx of the Hr. Ms. Tromp to Sirte and landed there without permission.

  March

• 9: The Nederlandse Spoorwegen are handed a record fine of 2 million euro due to not complying with performance agreements with the government.
• 10-11: The 3 military crew-members are released during the night after intensive diplomatic discussions.

  April

• 9: Alphen aan den Rijn shopping mall shooting

  May

June

July

• 7: During the expansion of the Grolsch Veste an accident occurs with a lifting crane and makes part of the roof collapse. 2 people die and 14 others are injured.
• 15: Zendstation Smilde in Hoogersmilde partly collapses after a fire.

  August

September

October

• 2: The Nederlands Scheepvaartmuseum reopens her doors for visitors.
• 31: An investigation into social-psychology papers uncovered massive amount of academic fraud at Dutch Universities. At least 30 papers by psychologist Diederik Stapel are found to have been faked.

  November

• 12: The national arrival of Sinterklaas takes place in Dordrecht this year.

  December

• 21: Astronaut André Kuipers starts his second space-travel from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, he will be staying at the ISS for almost half a year.
• 29: Theater 't Speelhuis in Helmond is destroyed by a very large fire it damages several cube houses.

  Elections

• Dutch provincial elections, 2011

  Sports

• February 4: Ellen van Dijk wins the 2011 Ladies Tour of Qatar, including the youth and points classifications.