Source of Life

History of the work

On the forecourt south of Bruder Klaus church at Ostring 1 lies the stone fountain 'Quelle des Lebens' (Source of Life). It was inaugurated on 19 August 1989, according to Wikipedia as a symbol of the Resurrection. The city's building inventory records a redesign of the square with a fountain by Karl Imfeld from Lungern for 1989 and 1990.

The fountain completes a complex that is listed as a cultural property of national importance. The church was designed by the Basel architect Hermann Baur, whose project a jury chose in 1951; it was built by the Bern architect Walter Bitter. The foundation stone was laid on 30 August 1953, and on 24 October 1954 the church was consecrated in honour of Niklaus von Flüe, who had been canonised in 1947. Baur set it diagonally to the roundabout at Burgernziel and moved it back from the road behind a forecourt; the hall and the presbytery frame this square, while the free-standing tower stands right on the street. An additional link building to the parish hall was added in 1986.

Karl Imfeld was born in Lungern in 1953. SIKART lists him under the name Karl Imfeld-Spögler as a sculptor working in stone, wood, metal and glass, with art on buildings, square designs and fountains. In a portrait by Swiss radio SRF he describes himself as a committed Christian and says biblical contexts are central to his work. There he also talks about another water feature in which water sprays from nozzles only at certain times, to show that water is not available without limit.

From the fountain you look at the polygonal entrance block of the church, crowned by a large rosette of concrete and glass; the building inventory names F. Gehr as its designer.

Researched and summarised by Bärn Kit. Sources: Kultur Stadt Bern, Kunst im öffentlichen Raum (offene Daten) · Wikipedia (de): Kirche Bruder Klaus (Bern) · Bauinventar Stadt Bern: Ostring 1, 1A–D / Segantinistrasse (PDF) · Wikidata: Quelle des Lebens (Q55978944) · SIKART: Karl Imfeld-Spögler · Radio SRF: Karl Imfelds Werke berühren in der Tiefe · Wikimedia Commons: Brunnenanlage Quelle des Lebens (Karl Imfeld 1989)