Methfessel grew up in a musical family. After apprenticing with Peter Schulz in Regensburg, he worked for several years at W. Lemböck in Vienna. In 1864, he opened his own studio in his home town of Bern.
Image: Close up of an instrument that Methfessel built from wood that broke off from the Christoffel Tower.
The Christoffel tower belonged to the Bernese city fortress complex and was demolished in favour of Bernese urban development. Today, the Bahnhofplatz Bern is located on the former site of the Christoffel Tower.