Viking Cruise #33: Germany's Black Forest Cuckoo Clocks!

If you didn't know that Cuckoo Clocks originated in Germany's Black Forest region, now you do. In today's blog, you'll learn more about them. In fact, more than you ever expected to learn. We also got to see a clockmaker in action at a Cuckoo clock builder and retailer. 

(Photo: Rob and Tom outside the life-sized Cuckoo Clock at the Black Forest. Credit: R.G.) 

HISTORY OF THE CUCKOO CLOCK -  The farmers in the Black Forest (South West Germany) used logs to build the clock which housed the lucky call of the Cuckoo bird, and so the cuckoo clock was born! 

It is still unknown exactly who made the first-ever cuckoo clock. For long, the cuckoo clock has been attributed to Franz Anton Ketterer, a reputed clockmaker operating in 1737 from the Black Forest village of Schönwald (a village where many cuckoo clockmakers still operate workshops to this day). However, is also disputed that Michael Dilger & Matthäus Hummel may have had a hand in creating the first standard cuckoo clock in 1742. The debate still continues.

MUSIC IN CUCKOO CLOCKS - The cuckoo clocks that play tunes and melodies tend to be more valuable — especially if the clock plays more than one song. To tell which clocks are musical, count the weights hanging from the clock. Musical cuckoo clocks have three weights. Two weights power the movement of the clock and operate the cuckoo's call.

WHAT IS A BLACK FOREST CUCKOO CLOCK? A cuckoo clock is deemed an authentic Black Forest cuckoo clock when the clock and all of its essential parts — everything from the clock case and the decorative details to the bellows and the mechanical movement components — have been handmade exclusively in the Black Forest region of Germany.

TYPES OF CUCKOO CLOCKS -

1) The 'chalet-style cuckoo clock' is the most famous design of cuckoo clocks. It's from the 19th century and showcases an alpine house adorned with items characteristic of the region such as wood-cutters, beer drinkers in lederhosen, deer, bears and pine trees.  

2) The 'railway cuckoo clock' which is based off the original design of a 'railway signal-mans' house and is still available for those who prefer the beautifully ornate and 'antique-style' cuckoo clocks. 

3) The 'birds-and-leaves cuckoo-clocks' and the 'hunting-style cuckoo-clocks' became two of the most widely appreciated of the 'carved-style cuckoo clocks' theme with intricate woodcarvings becoming a main style of cuckoo clocks.

NEXT: Making a Boozy Black Forest Cake