Cuckoo Clocks

The first Black Forest Cuckoo Clock was made by Franz Anton Ketterer in Schoenwalk, in Germany, deep in the black forest. Ketterer was able to replicate the cuckoos call by using bellows to produce two different sounds. As time went by, the cuckoo clock industry deveoped in the Black Forest and many interesting developments were applied to the timeless piece. It was in the winter months that all the developing was done. Richly carved decorations from many types of woods were used in a show of genius, cleverness and above all dexterity!

By 1808 there were already nearly 700 clock makers and 600 clock peddlers in the nearby districts. During winter the farms were completely under snow and the people couldn’t get out. Thus they used this as a perfect time to create and build cuckoo clocks. Finely hand crafted clocks with many different styles and with rich and varied carving were developed during the long winter months.

The cuckoo clock is world wide known as a symbol of the Black Forest. The clockmakers of this area have been specialising in cuckoo clocks since the 18th century. Originally the cuckoo clock became world famous after people of the Black forest literally carried them on their backs in rucksacks through Germany.

The very first cuckoo clock was basically a painted wooden clock. The clock was fantastically decorated and was basically a square board as a face, and a raised semi circle behind a small door. This kind of cuckoo clock was made int he early 18th century and is considered to be the specialty cuckoo clock of the Black Forest. Although Black Foest is famous for their cuckoo clocks the exact origin is still unknown. By the middle of the 19th century there were two primary forms of cuckoo clocks that were prevelant. The framed clock had a large and strong wooden frame and a very wide painted inner sectionthat the clock face actually attached too. The cuckoo bird sat in the upper section. The first known clock of this type had a wooden clock face with white numbers and hand.