Interlaken | March 5, 2023
Some of the residents have probably already noticed that a large white tent is currently enclosing the Wasserstein near the Ost train station. Workshop manager Andreas Michel explains what this is all about and what else needs to be done at the fountain.
The water stone hidden in the white tent.Photos: Sandro Huber
In autumn 2022 the time had finally come: after a number of decisions, objections and clarifications, the renovation work on the fountain in Interlaken could finally begin (Jungfrau Zeitung reported).
Werkhof manager Andreas Michel is happy and relieved at the same time when the water stone can finally shine in new splendor. “For me, the fountain is an architectural masterpiece,” says Michel. Departing the water stone completely would have been quite painful for him.
A tent for the water stone
In the wintry conditions, the construction site was now covered with a heated tent. This does not seem to have escaped the notice of the residents of Interlaken. The “construction” at Ost station was hotly debated on social media, be it with regard to the heated workplace, but also the cost of the tent that covered the well over the winter months. It should be said: The workers are certainly not unhappy about the somewhat milder temperatures in the tent, but actually it is the concrete adhesive that needs a temperature of between eight and 15 degrees. Michel: “It is easier to heat a tent than to cool it down in the summer months.”
In addition, the costs of renting the tent and heating should have been taken into account and calculated in advance. After all, a loan of almost 800,000 francs was approved for the renovation – the large municipal council approved a further 367,000 francs at a later date for the first loan of 400,000.
Open air again soon: The new water stone.
Back to the temperature-dependent adhesive: if it is already delivered at the optimal temperature, the adhesive never falls into the damaging low temperatures. When the water stone is finished and the water is flowing again, the heat is regulated at the same time, so that there is no longer a need for a tent.
Head of Infrastructure for the Municipality of Interlaken: Andreas Michel.
According to Michel, the work has fortunately gone so far without any major difficulties. The mild winter this year was a particular help: “At first we were a bit afraid of being able to maintain the temperatures in the tent if we had had a load of snow on the roof. Luckily we were spared that.”
On the home straight
The glue is now sticky. Now there is still work to be done on the outer channel before the “concrete block”, as it is now popularly called in the region, can shine in new splendor again.
But be careful: According to Andreas Michel, bottlenecks in the supply chains could delay the final work a little. “But we are in good spirits that we can keep to the schedule.” The tent should be able to be removed again towards the end of April.
And so the “tired topic” at the Ostbahnhof in Interlaken should finally be shelved after several years of back and forth. This not only pleases the planners and the municipality, but certainly also the residents of Interlaken and above all the many tourists who are now not greeted by a “grey concrete block” at the Ost station but by a fountain that will shine in new splendor !
