's-Heerenvijvers Estate

After the Peace of Münster in 1648, the Protestants came to power and Catholicism was banned. The Orangist Martijn Sweerts became bailiff. In 1672, he purchased half of the Lordship of Oirschot from the family De Merode, thus becoming the demi-lord of Oirschot. The other demi-lord of Oirschot was once the Duke of Brabant, but at that time it were the States General.

In 1675, he commissioned the construction of a pond and plantings in the Oerschoren. This land wasn't his property, but the municipality lacked the courage to obstruct his progress and subsequently granted him the land. Later, additional land was purchased. Canals were also dug (visible on a 1734 map). A hunting lodge stood on the largest island. Sweerts changed his name to Sweerts de Landas and was ennobled. The Sweerts de Landas family also became the owners of Groot Bijstervelt Castle.

In 1794, the French period began, marking the end of Protestant government.. In 1795, the last Drossaard (bailiff)  Carel H.J. Sweerts de Landas, died. His children sold the estate to an Amsterdam merchant in 1831, after which it frequently changed hands.

In 1936, O.M.E. Loupart purchased the estate. He was a member of the Philips Board of Directors. He built a weekend house, a dormitory, a chapel, a barn (now a weekend house), and a chapel in gratitude for the birth of his daughter. These buildings, including the boundary markers,  were all designed by the Oirschot architect Jan Bex (1895-1935).

During World War II, German officers used the estate, and especially the weekend house, for relaxation and celebrations. In 1941, they also erected a gun emplacement there.

The Eijsbouts brothers now own the 's-Heerenvijvers estate.

A noteworthy detail is the Schietberg (Shooting mound) : The Zwarte Berg (Black Mound) or Schietberg is a steep mound of black earth created by the excavation of the ponds, on which a gazebo once stood, surrounded by a beech hedge. In the years leading up to World War II, the Oirschot Civil Guard trained in a lane near the Heerenvijvers, with the moundl serving as a bullet trap.

Parts of the estate are freely accessible.