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Black Forest Cuckoo Clocks

 
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    • The look and design of the cuckoo clock has become conventional with the carved or chalet look that hangs on the wall.  Decorated with carved animals and leaves with a bird that pops out of a door when the clock strikes.  Originally pendulum driven with a chain, most now have automation that has the bird moving while the clock is striking.  This is usually weight driven, but in the past it was not unusual for cuckoo clocks to be spring driven.

    The cuckoo clock as we know it today comes from the region in southwest Germany known as Black Forest.  The craftsman of that region of Germany were the ones who came up with the designs and technical improvements that we associate with the cuckoo clock including the bird with the distinctive call that pops out to announce the change of the hour or half hour.  The design that you typically see on the outside of the clock such as the leaves and intricate carvings which has made these clocks such a valued piece of wall art also came from the craftsmen of this region.

    The earliest reference to the cuckoo clock is 1650 which would seem to dispute the common belief that they originated in the Black Forest region of Germany.  The first mention of clock making is 1730 which is almost a century later.  And even then it was just a minor industry compared to other items that were being made by the very talented craftsmen of that time period.

    It is now common to see battery powered cuckoo clocks with music boxes rather than the bellows that were used in the original designs of these clocks to make the trademark bird like call.  It is even common for them to have a digital recording of this bird in the wild.  Along with accompany nature sounds such as water falling and the echo of the call itself. 

    Even today the cuckoo clock is still being produced in the Black Forest Region of Germany.  It has become a very popular souvenir of tourists and travelers.  There are still over 100 companies making completed clocks or parts for them that make that region their home.  Many of these clocks are still handcrafted by woodcarvers the same way they did 200 years ago.  Each one is tested for several days before they are shipped out after careful packing.