Huize Bijdorp

What remains today of Bijdorp country estate, which was established in 1634, is only the wrought-iron fence on the Veurseweg. The entrance gate, bearing the initials of founder Gerard Meerman Fransz, was the entrance to the buitenplaats, which stood on the site of a 16th-century farmhouse. The buitenplaats consisted of a country house with two playhouses in the central axis: one along the Vliet and one on today's Veurseweg, which existed until the 1960s.

In the 19th century, the house was extensively rebuilt in neo-classical style. The park changed from formal and austere to landscape style: a wood with meandering water feature was added on the Veursestraat.
In 1875, the country estate was put into use as a convent. The congregation kept part of the originally 17th-century house. The property was extended with a neo-Gothic chapel (1895) and an additional wing (1938).
In 1995, the complex was thoroughly renovated. It is now a motherhouse for the Dominican Sisters.

The sisters have always dedicated themselves to education and care in particular, while also paying special attention to the vulnerable in society. Today, the Congregation still consists of 34 sisters with a very high average age and no new sisters are accepted.