Many American homes have a timepiece with a design that comes from deep in the Black Forest of southwestern Germany. The familiar “coo-coo” marks the hour with a sound that echoes through the centuries. Black Forest wood carvers began creating the fancy cases, wooden-geared clockworks and pop-out birds of the cuckoo clock in the 1700s.
Most of the authentic Kuckucksuhren (cuckoo clocks) are made in and near the town of Triberg, which is an hour’s drive northeast of the city of Freiburg. Click here to see a map of the area:
The main street of Triberg is lined with shops selling an amazing variety of cuckoo clocks. The largest is the Haus der 1000 Uhren (House of 1000 Clocks) where shoppers can pick a cuckoo clock of any size and motif.
Those who like really big clocks can visit the “first” world’s biggest cuckoo clock, measuring 10 by 12 feet, or the current world’s biggest cuckoo clock, measuring 15 by 15 feet. Both are built inside cottages with the time dial on an outside wall. They are located in the area of Schonach, a few miles northwest of Triberg. The “first” biggest cuckoo clock is pictured here.
It is scaled up 50 times from a normal cuckoo clock. Even the bellows and pipes that make the “coo-coo” sound are scaled up, resulting in the normally flute-like notes sounding like they are being played on a tuba.
Did you know that there really is a cuckoo bird from which the clock gets its sound and name? Walking on a trail through the Black Forest, you are likely to hear a “coo-coo” that sounds exactly like the clock. You can hear a cuckoo bird “in the wild” by clicking on the “play audio” link at this site. http://www.junglewalk.com/popup.asp?type=a&AnimalAudioID=6321
Submitted by Cynthia Richter