Bolle Akkerroute

The Bolle Akkerroute takes you through the most beautiful places of the Croy estate. The estate is located in the valley of the Goorloop, a small river that begins in the Strabrechtse Heide and flows into the Aa at Veghel. The estate is partly located in the area of Aarle-Rixtel, municipality of Laarbeek, and partly in the area of Stiphout, municipality of Helmond. The estate also includes eight leased farms, including some dairy and beef cattle farms, an orchard, and a vegetable farm.

The first mention of the Croy estate dates back to 1472. At that time, it consisted of a castle with a courtyard and about 20 hectares of land. In 1772, the estate came into the possession of the Van Brugghen family. Johan Karel Gideon van Brugghen further expanded it with lands in Kruisschot, thereby reaching its current size of 230 hectares. He was also a dedicated sheep breeder and imported Merino sheep from Spain to improve the local Kempische sheep. For this purpose, the Spanish sheep barn, a traditional sheep barn, was built. This barn is located behind the castle.
The route owes its name to the Bolle Akkern. These were created by the introduction of organic materials such as manure and household waste. The rule of thumb is approximately a rise of 1 meter per 100 years. Furthermore, the direction in which the land was plowed influenced the formation of the bolle Akker.