Meret Oppenheim Fountain on Waisenhausplatz

Meret Oppenheim was a Surrealist artist. She became famous for a cup covered in fur. She also lived in Bern for a long time. For Waisenhausplatz she created a fountain that is not meant to be finished, but to grow.

A fountain that lives

The water flows down in channels that spiral around the concrete column. At first the column was bare. Over time, moss, grass and small plants have settled on it, just as the artist intended. The water in Bern contains a lot of lime. From it, tufa (Tuffstein) forms on the column. In winter, long icicles often hang from it. So the fountain looks different in every season.

A row in the Old Town

A modern fountain in the historic Old Town: that upset many people in Bern. In letters to the editor, people demanded that it be removed. It stayed. The column was engineered by the Bernese engineer Heinz Isler, who is known for his concrete shells.

Good to know

The fountain stands in the open on the square, a few steps from Bärenplatz. Large pieces of tufa that could fall off are removed by the city when needed. The fountain is also a stop on the Lorraine art walk.