In the village of Melchnau near Langenthal, Polish soldiers from the 2nd Warsaw Light Artillery Regiment who had been interned in Switzerland since 1940 were stationed. The choir of the unit, which also performed in other Polish internment camps, was active there. The enclosure of the spring in the square next to the old school building in this village was funded by the soldiers as a sign of gratitude to the local people, who treated the internees with kindness. The scene shows a girl in costume from the Emmental Valley handing a jug of water to a young Polish soldier; it was meant to symbolise this help in an unpretentious way. The bowl collecting the water from the tap bears the bas-relief of the Melchnau coat of arms. Carved to a design by Zbigniew Bem (and probably by him personally, originally in clay and plaster), one of the most artistically active Polish soldiers, it was his first such large-scale work in Switzerland, made while he was studying architecture in Winterthur and Zurich - the Swiss authorities allowed him to continue his studies begun before the war in Poland. The population traditionally refers to the site as the 'Polish well', and the local post office introduced a decorative date stamp with a representation of the sculpture in 1993. It is among the most recognisable Polish souvenirs in Switzerland. It is traditionally dated 1942, but postcards from the era show the date 1941, while a metal dedication plaque affixed above the tap of the well reads '11 November 1940'.

As the original, made of perishable stone, was gradually deteriorating, a faithful copy of the sculpture was made of similar material thanks to the efforts of the Polish side and funds from the municipality of Melchnau and the canton of Bern. Its ceremonial unveiling took place on 13 November 1993, in the presence of representatives of the cantonal authorities, the Polish community in Bern and representatives of the Polish embassy in Bern.