Following on from The Karl König Institute’s ‘Living History’ film project which captures the memories of those who lived and worked alongside Karl König, Regine Bruhn, one of the Institute’s founding members and Chairperson, has embarked on another important project, A Biography of Karl König, written in German and translated into English. The translation achieves an important objective of making the life and legacy of Dr Karl König accessible to a wider, international audience.
The Camphill Foundation UK & Ireland is proud to support the English translation by providing a grant of £3,000. The translation, to be published by Floris Books, is expected to be available later this year or early 2026.
Regine Bruhn offers a rich and human portrayal of König’s life, ideals, and struggles, from his early childhood to his pioneering work in the Camphill movement. Regine has been involved with Camphill since the 1980s, working in communities across Scotland and Germany. Her work as an educator and founding member of the Karl König Institute reflects a lifelong commitment to carrying König’s legacy into the present and beyond. Inspired by teaching confirmation classes and seeing the resonance of König’s life among young people, she began the journey of writing this biography to offer a text that is both meaningful and readable by the general public.
Unlike earlier biographical accounts that assumed a reader’s familiarity with anthroposophy or König’s medical and spiritual background, this work has been deliberately written in an accessible, narrative style. It invites a broad readership – co-workers, residents, parents, professionals, and anyone curious about the Camphill ethos.
It is structured into seven main chapters, including an extensive introduction focusing on the significant role of Vienna on König’s life. It explores his early years and youth, education, time in Silesia, pre-emigration years in Vienna, arrival in Scotland and the founding of the first Camphill community, as well as including new material drawn from König’s unpublished diaries and correspondence, and contributions from other archives such as the Christian Community. The final chapter reflects on later transformations in his work and legacy.
This publication builds on years of archival work, especially by Anne Weise of the Karl König Archive, whose research into König’s ancestry, friendships, and the lives of early Camphill children has brought previously unknown details to light. Through thoughtful assembly of German and English sources, and attention to different perspectives, new dimensions of König’s story emerge, bringing his personality and principles into sharper focus.
It is an honour for the Camphill Foundation UK & Ireland to support the Karl König Institute with this important piece of work, and we look forward to reading the biography when it becomes available.
For further information about the work of The Karl König Institute, please click here.
