Black Forest Cuckoo Clocks

It is said that the cuckoo clock actually has been referenced as early as 1650; it wasn't until a century later that the famous clock was introduced by Germany. The reason the clock is called the Cuckoo Black Forest is because the clocks are made in Black Forest, Germany, hence the name, Black Forest Cuckoo Clock.

The clock is pendulum driven and when it strikes on the half hour or on the hour it imitates the sound of a cuckoo bird. The sound of the cuckoo bird is made by the movement pushing on the bellows which in turn releases a puff of air into the pipes. The pendulums are mostly hand carved out of walnut.

The Black Forest cuckoo clock is powered by the weights and the pendulum. The weights hang from brass chains and are made of cast iron and shaped like pine cones. The cuckoo clocks have 8 day brass mechanical movements and they are mostly made from walnut, including the face, hands and roman numerals. You cannot help but notice that each cuckoo clock is shaped like a Swiss chalet. The clocks average in height from 16 inches to well over three feet, the average width can range anywhere between 10 and 30 inches depending on the clock. You will not find anyone of these clocks powered by electricity or batteries.

Everyone of these clocks depicts something that everyone of us can relate too; from the carved cuckoo, to the music dancers, to the beer drinkers drinking beer, to the moving musicians, to a wood chopper chopping wood, to a turning mill wheel and let’s not forget the cows, chickens, pigs, ducks, dogs, cats, deer, bears and even an outhouse.

The greatest thing about the Cuckoo Black Forest Clock is that it is hand carved, and it is shown in every detailed part of each and every clock made in Black Forest, Germany. I have never seen a clock that has so much detail and in turns tells us a story.