Events from the year 2019 in the Netherlands.

Incumbents

Monarch A monarch () is a head of stateWebster's II New College Dictionary. "Monarch". Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. Life tenure, for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest ...

Willem-Alexander Willem-Alexander (; Willem-Alexander Claus George Ferdinand; born 27 April 1967) is King of the Netherlands since 30 April 2013. Willem-Alexander was born in Utrecht during the reign of his maternal grandmother, Queen Juliana, as the eldest ch ...

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Mark Rutte Mark Rutte (; born 14 February 1967) is a Dutch politician who has served as the 14th Secretary General of NATO, secretary general of NATO since October 2024. He previously served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands, prime minister of the Neth ...

(

VVD The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy ( , VVD) is a conservative-liberal political party in the Netherlands. The VVD, whose forerunner was the Freedom Party, is a party of the centre-right that tries to promote private enterprise and ...

) * Speaker of the House of Representatives:

Khadija Arib Khadija Arib (; ; born 10 October 1960) is a Moroccans in the Netherlands, Moroccan-born Dutch politician of the Labour Party (Netherlands), Labour Party, who served as Speaker of the House of Representatives (Netherlands), Speaker of the House ...

( PvdA) *

President of the Senate President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate. It corresponds to the Speaker (politics), speaker in some other assemblies. The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's Order of succession, succes ...

: Jan Anthonie Bruijn (

)

Events

* 1 January – ** A celebratory fire on the beach in

Scheveningen Scheveningen () is one of the eight districts of The Hague, Netherlands, as well as a subdistrict () of that city. Scheveningen is a modern seaside resort with a long, sandy beach, an esplanade, a pier, and a lighthouse. The beach is popular ...

caused a spark rain over the surrounding neighbourhood, setting multiple buildings on fire ** Arthur van Dijk (

) is sworn in as the

King's Commissioner A King's commissioner (, ''CvdK'') is the head of government and legislature in a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands. When the List of monarchs of the Netherlands, reigning monarch is a woman, the title is Queen's commission ...

North Holland North Holland (, ) is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands in the northwestern part of the country. It is located on the North Sea, north of South Holland and Utrecht (province), Utrecht, and west of Friesland and Flevola ...

* 1 February – ** Hans Oosters ( PvdA) becomes the

Utrecht Utrecht ( ; ; ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city of the Netherlands, as well as the capital and the most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht. The ...

** Pieter-Jaap Aalbersberg is appointed

Nationaal Coördinator Terrorismebestrijding en Veiligheid The National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism (Dutch ''Nationaal Coördinator Terrorismebestrijding en Veiligheid''), abbreviated as NCTV, is the principal Dutch counterterrorism agency. It was established in January 2005 as the ''Na ...

(NCTV) * 6 February – John Berends ( CDA) takes over as the

Gelderland Gelderland ( , ), also known as Guelders ( ) in English, is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands, located in the centre-east of the country. With a total area of of which is water, it is the largest province of the Nethe ...

* 18 March – Three people are killed and seven others are injured in the

2019 Utrecht shooting On the morning of 18 March 2019, four people were killed and six others were injured in a mass shooting on a tram in Utrecht, Netherlands. One of the injured died of his injuries ten days later. Gökmen Tanis, a 37-year-old Dutch citizen (before ...

* 20 March – 2019 provincial elections * 18 May –

Duncan Laurence Duncan de Moor (; born 11 April 1994), known professionally as Duncan Laurence, is a Dutch singer and songwriter. He represented the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with his song " Arcade" and went on to win the competition, g ...

wins the

Eurovision Song Contest 2019 The Eurovision Song Contest 2019 was the 64th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Tel Aviv, Israel, following the country's victory at the with the song "Toy" by Netta. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union ...

; the Netherlands' first victory since

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

* 23 May –

2019 European Parliament election The 2019 European Parliament election was held in the European Union (EU) between 23 and 26 May 2019. It was the ninth parliamentary election since the first direct elections in 1979. A total of 751 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) we ...

in the Netherlands * 27 May – 2019 Senate election * 11 June –

Ankie Broekers-Knol Anneke "Ankie" Broekers-Knol (born 23 November 1946) is a Dutch politician and jurist who served as State Secretary for Justice and Security in the Third Rutte cabinet from 11 June 2019 until 10 January 2022. She is a member of the People's Par ...

(

) is appointed State Secretary for Justice and Security following the resignation of

Mark Harbers Markus Gerardus Jozef "Mark" Harbers (born 19 April 1969) is a Dutch politician who served as Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management in the Fourth Rutte cabinet from 10 January 2022 to 2 July 2024. A member of the People's Party for F ...

* 2 July – Jan Anthonie Bruijn (

) is elected

* 2 July – Groep Otten is formed in the Senate by former members of

Forum for Democracy Forum for Democracy ( ; FvD) is a far-right political party in the Netherlands, originally founded as a think tank by Thierry Baudet and Henk Otten in 2015 before registering itself as a party the following year. The FvD first participated i ...

* 4 July –

Willem Holleeder Willem Frederik Holleeder (born 29 May 1958) is a Dutch gangster, outlaw biker and convicted criminal. He is nicknamed ''De Neus'' (''The Nose'') because of the size of his nose. In 1983, Holleeder was sentenced to eleven years' imprisonment fo ...

is sentenced to life in prison * 1 August – The

burqa A burqa or burka (; ) is an enveloping outer garment worn by some Muslim women which fully covers the body and the face. Also known as a chadaree (; ) or chaadar (Dari: چادر) in Afghanistan, or a ''paranja'' (; ; ) in Central Asia, the Ara ...

ban in schools, public transport, hospitals and government buildings voted by the States General comes into application * 10 August – Part of

AFAS Stadion AFAS Stadion is a stadium in Alkmaar, Netherlands. It is used for association football, football matches and is the home stadium of AZ Alkmaar. AZ Alkmaar (women), AZ's women's team also plays select matches in the stadium. The stadium is able to ...

's roof collapses; no one is wounded * 23 August –

Sybrand van Haersma Buma Sybrand van Haersma Buma (, ; born 30 July 1965) is a Dutch politician serving as Mayor of Leeuwarden since 2019. Until 2019, he was a member of the House of Representatives from 2002 who also served as the parliamentary leader of the Chris ...

, who had left the office of

Leader of the Christian Democratic Appeal The Party leader, Leader of the Christian Democratic Appeal is the most senior politician within the Christian Democratic Appeal (, CDA) in the Netherlands.The current leader has been Henri Bontenbal since 14 August 2023. History The leaders o ...

in May, becomes Mayor of Leeuwarden * 18 September – Murder of Derk Wiersum * 30 September – Koen Schuiling (

) is appointed Mayor of

Groningen Groningen ( , ; ; or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen (province), Groningen province in the Netherlands. Dubbed the "capital of the north", Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of ...

* 1 October – Beginning of the farmers' protests * 7 October –

Pauline Krikke Pauline Christine Krikke (born 9 May 1961) is a Dutch politician who served as mayor of The Hague from 2017 until 2019. A member of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), she previously served as mayor of Arnhem from 2001 to 2013. S ...

(

) resigns as

Mayor of the Hague Below is a list of mayors of The Hague since it was decided in 1824 that only one mayor at a time would govern the city. List See also * Timeline of The Hague References {{Reflist The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of th ...

* 16–20 October –

Amsterdam Dance Event The Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) is a five-day electronic music conference and festival held annually in mid-October. The event, organised by The Amsterdam Dance Event Foundation, offers a full programme of daytime conferences at ADE Pro, ADE Tech ...

* 15 December – Opening of Zwolle Stadshagen railway station * 19 December –

Ridouan Taghi Ridouan Taghi (born 20 December 1977) is Moroccans in the Netherlands, Moroccan-Dutch criminal who became a prime suspect in at least ten murders related to organised crime, drug trafficking and leading a criminal organisation. On February 27, 202 ...

, wanted for suspected involvement in at least 10 murders (including Wiersum), is extradited from Dubai, where he was arrested three days earlier

Deaths

January

* 1 January – Feis Ecktuh, Dutch rapper (b. 1986) * 2 January –

Paulien van Deutekom Paulien van Deutekom (4 February 1981 – 2 January 2019) was a Dutch champion speed skating, speed skater who specialised in the middle to long distances, over 1000 and 1500 metres. Biography In November 2005, Van Deutekom surprised when she ...

, Dutch speed skater (b. 1981) * 18 January –

Cees Haast Cees Haast (19 November 1938 – 18 January 2019) was a Dutch cyclist. His sporting career began with Fortuna Zundert. Major results 1962 :2nd of Ronde van Limburg :2nd of Delta Profronde 1964 :2nd of the Dutch National Road Race Championships 1 ...

, Dutch cyclist (b. 1938) * 22 January – Koos Andriessen, Dutch politician (b. 1928) * 23 January –

Dick Dolman Dirk "Dick" Dolman (2 July 1935 – 23 January 2019) was a Dutch politician. In 1970, he became a member of the House of Representatives as a member of the Labour Party (PvdA). From 17 July 1979 to 14 September 1989 he was the Speaker of the ...

, Dutch politician (b. 1935) * 28 January –

Jurrie Koolhof Jurjen Jacob (Jurrie) Koolhof (10 January 1960 – 28 January 2019) was a Dutch international football striker and manager. As a player, Koolhof had a long and productive career, with 190 league goals. He played for a number of clubs in the Net ...

, Dutch footballer and manager (b. 1960) * 31 January –

Johnny Lion John van Leeuwarden (4 July 1941 – 31 January 2019), who recorded under the name Johnny Lion, was a Dutch singer, journalist and actor. His best known song as a solo artist was his hit single "Sophietje". He also recorded with The Jumping Jew ...

, Dutch singer and actor (b. 1941)

February

* 16 February – Kees Stoop, Dutch artist (b. 1929)

March

* 6 March – Lotte van der Zee, Dutch model (b. 1999) * 22 March –

Frans Andriessen Franciscus Henricus Johannes Joseph "Frans" Andriessen (2 April 1929 – 22 March 2019) was a Dutch politician of the Catholic People's Party (KVP) and later the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) and businessperson who served as List of Europ ...

, Dutch politician (b. 1929)

April

* 11 April – Max van Weezel, Dutch journalist (b. 1951) * 17 April –

Pieter Verhoeff Pieter Verhoeff (4 February 1938 – 17 April 2019) was a Dutch film director. He studied at the Netherlands Film and Television Academy and graduated in 1966. He is known for his films ''The Mark of the Beast (film), The Mark of the Beast'', ''Th ...

, Dutch film director (b. 1938) * 23 April –

Johan Witteveen Johan may refer to: * Johan (given name) * ''Johan'' (1921 film), a Swedish film directed by Mauritz Stiller * Johan (2005 film), a Dutch romantic comedy film * Johan (band), a Dutch pop-group ** ''Johan'' (album), a 1996 album by the group * Joh ...

, Dutch politician and economist, Deputy Prime Minister (b. 1921) * 26 April –

Robbert de Greef Robbert de Greef (27 August 1991 – 25 April 2019) was a Dutch cyclist, who rode for . On 1 April 2019, de Greef suffered a cardiac arrest during the Omloop van de Braakman race. He died on 25 April 2019. Major results ;2016 : 6th Dwars d ...

, Dutch cyclist (b.1991)

May

* 15 May –

Peer Mascini Petrus Johannes Maria "Peer" Mascini (23 March 1941 – 16 May 2019) was a Dutch actor and writer. He is well known for his work in ''Blind Date'' (1996) and ''De eenzame oorlog van Koos Tak'' (1996). He was a recipient of Golden Calf (award), ...

, Dutch actor and writer (b. 1941)

June

* 17 June – Clemens C. J. Roothaan, Dutch chemist and physicist, developer of

Roothaan equations The Roothaan equations are a representation of the Hartree–Fock equation in a non orthonormal basis set which can be of Gaussian-type or Slater-type. It applies to closed-shell molecules or atoms where all molecular orbitals or atomic orbitals ...

(b. 1918)

July

* 19 July –

Rutger Hauer Rutger Oelsen Hauer (; 23 January 1944 – 19 July 2019) was a Dutch actor, with a career that spanned over 170 roles across nearly 50 years, beginning in 1969. In 1999, he was named by the Dutch public as the Best Dutch Actor of the Century. H ...

, Dutch actor, writer, and environmentalist (b. 1944)

August

* 16 August –

Princess Christina of the Netherlands Princess Christina of the Netherlands (Maria Christina; 18 February 1947 – 16 August 2019) was the youngest of four daughters of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld. She taught singing in New York and was ...

, Princess of the Netherlands (b. 1947)

September

* 18 September –

Fernando Ricksen Fernando Jacob Hubertina Henrika Ricksen (27 July 1976 – 18 September 2019) was a Dutch professional footballer who played as a right back and central midfielder. After winning Eerste Divisie titles with Fortuna Sittard and AZ, he joined ...

, Dutch professional footballer (b. 1976)

November

* 28 November –

Pim Verbeek Peter Tim Dirk "Pim" Verbeek (12 March 1956 – 28 November 2019) was a Dutch football manager who last coached the Oman national football team. Playing career As a player, Verbeek was a defender or a midfielder and spent his entire career at S ...

, Dutch footballer and manager (b. 1956)

December

* 4 December – Peter van Walsum, Dutch diplomat (b. 1934)

References

{{Year in Europe, 2019

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

Years of the 21st century in the Netherlands