title: 2011 in the Netherlands
text: # 2011 in the Netherlands
  
  This article lists some of the events that took place in the Netherlands in 2011.
  
  ## Incumbents
  
  * Monarch: Beatrix
  * Prime Minister: Mark Rutte
  
  ## Events
  
  ### January
  
  * 1: The BES-islands(Saba, Saint Eustatius and Bonaire) 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 (Dutch Railways) 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
  
  ### 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.
  
  ### 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 stays at the ISS for almost half a year.
  * 29: Theater 't Speelhuis in Helmond is destroyed by a very large fire; the fire also 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.
  