The Black Forest Cuckoo Clock Story

By Author: Steve Johnson
Total Articles: 10
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A history of the making of the black forest cuckoo clock cannot be told without a reference to the 2 legends that surround the genesis of the black forest cuckoo clock.

One of the legends has it that in circa 1738 a German clock maker from the Black Forest region who went by the name of Anton Ketterer took up one of his clocks and added a cuckoo to it to enhance the design fueled by his creativity and that was the moment of birth of the much celebrated black forest cuckoo clock.

The second legend tells the story of a Bohemian (currently Czech Republic) peddler who was traveling through the black forest region. He had sold 2 cuckoo clocks to a few clockmakers of that area.

In this way the cuckoo clock design traveled to the black forest area and thus began its vaunted and charming journey. This also gave rise to the thriving black forest cuckoo clock manufacturing industry. But the problem is that none of these stories are validated nor can they be verified.

But other stories have revealed ...
... that even before the cuckoo clocks made their way to Black Forest, this region boasted of a clock making history that went back to a 100 years. Because of the harsh and fiercely cold winters in the Black Forest region, the clockmakers were forced to stay indoors and work on handcrafted items.

After the introduction of the cuckoo clocks in that clock making hub, these clock makers spent the long harsh cold winters handcrafting cuckoo clocks that brought in decent incomes and decent profits while the fields lay covered under a carpet of snow. When spring arrived, peddlers bought these cuckoo clocks from the clock makers and peddled these exotic handcrafted decorative items throughout Europe.

These traveling peddlers packed black forest cuckoo clocks in their backpacks and many people all over Europe soon fell in love with these black forest cuckoo clocks boasting of intricate patterns and designs.

Black forest cuckoo clocks belong to different phases - all of which can be ascertained through their designs. The black forest cuckoo clocks that were manufactured in the earliest phase that is between 1750 and 1850 boasted of Schilduhr design or shield clock design. The mechanical movement of the clock is revealed through the open sides and the cuckoo in this design is housed inside a half circle placed above the shield.

Then there is the Bahnhausle or the railway house style design of the 1850s and then there are variations brought in by other countries such as the Swiss chalet style, the Bavarian chalet style and the black forest chalet design.
Steve Johnson is an avid writer who likes to go on road trips and share about his personal founding. His interests include movies, swimming, and jogging. Steve also runs ClockAsAStyle, a store that carries spectacular and interesting clocks.