Cuckoo Clocks

The Cuckoo Clock Showcase offers many different kinds of these special kinds of time pieces, from the antique and traditional to the modern and unique. There are even novelty clocks, and many offer specific themes of endearing activities and honored traditions. Whether it shows a natural wood front with intricately carved pieces or a painted chalet theme with charming accents, each cuckoo clock is a special part of history and will always garner attention.

Until the mid-1600's, Germany and its surrounding areas had to rely on sun dials and hourglasses as the only way to keep track of time. In 1630, however, a glass peddler brought back a crude wooden clock from Czechoslovakia which used wooden gears and common stones as weight. Even so, it was an enormous improvement over previous methods of telling time. The invention of the clock caught on, and soon clock-making became an important source of income to many. A piece of wood, called a 'Waag', acted as a pendulum by moving backwards and forwards above the clock dial.

The first cuckoo clock dates back to around 1730, an improvement from roughly one hundred years of clock making progress. Its origin was in the Black Forest of Germany where people were often cooped up for the entire harsh winter, during which they made these kinds of clocks. Then in the summer, they made a good living by peddling these clocks to 'clock carriers,' ('Uhrschleppers' in German) who took the clocks all over Europe to re-sell. Over time, these clocks became more sophisticated with the adoption of new ideas, tools, and skills. People also began to specialize in certain aspects of clock making, such as carvers, case makers, and manufacturers of chains and toothed wheels came into being.

But the cuckoo did not sing until Franz Anton Ketterer, a clock-master from Schonwald, designed a system of small bellows and whistles to imitate the cuckoo's call in 1738, utilizing the same technology in use for church organs.

As the cuckoo clock became more sophisticated in their designs and decorations, many changes took place from their simple beginnings. Sometimes the birds' wings and beaks were animated, and sometimes they were decorated with feathers. The painters were only limited by their imaginations when it came to decorating the clocks, and they creatively used hundreds of themes, includes scenes of family, hunting, military motifs, and many other facets of German life. Some were even decorated with porcelain columns and enameled dials.

When a railroad was built in the Black Forest in the 1860's, a number of tunnels had to be built, and skilled workers were brought in from Italy. They also brought their life styles and architecture with them, building small lookout posts along the railway which were adorns with wild grapevines and other Italian influences. Their picturesque structures were the inspiration for the Bahnhausle cuckoo clocks, which are noticeably different from other woodland and rural or city life inspired themes of traditional cuckoo clocks.

By the middle of the 19 th century, two principal forms of the cuckoo clock had emerged. The 'railway house' form is the kind used most often today. The casing of a modern cuckoo clock is conventionally shaped in the form of a rustic birdhouse or quaint chalet from Switzerland or Germany. Most typical decorative elements are wine leaves, animals, woodland plants, and hunting scenes with the modern addition of beer drinking. Themes have developed, such as the 'Hunter's Clocks' which feature guns, powder horns, ammunition, and game animals decorating the clock, represented as either alive or dead. Some are ornamented with animated scenes characteristic of the traditional Black Forest, such as dancing couples in traditional dress moving to music, a rotating mill wheel, or a farmer chopping wood. However, the most popular feature which still remains is the famous cuckoo bird which comes out of its special door in order to sing at each hour.