Cuckoo for Schwarzwald

Today we did a full day of exploring the Schwarzwald region of Germany -- the Black Forest.  When most people think of the Black Forest, they usually think of Cuckoo Clocks.  So we took a fantastic drive through the mountains and countryside of the Black Forest to the town of Furtwangen to the Deutsches Uhrenmuseum -- the German Clock Museum.

This museum is more than just about cuckoo clocks, of which there were many.   It was a fascinating history of clock making from the earliest of days through the present.  The museum had very well -documented displays of clocks and inner workings through the centuries.  We learned how clocks made the progression from weights to turn the gears (very large clocks) to springs (much smaller and more ornate clocks) to pendulums (very accurate clocks).  They had exhibits on everything from sun dials to magno-electric clocks.

Monks circling during the chiming
of the hour.

Some of the most interesting clocks were the "Astronomical World Clocks."  These clocks not only showed the time, but also the date and lunar position.  The largest clock in the museum is the one shown here.  Besides the clocks themselves from a timekeeping perspective, the woodworking is what is so impressive.

What we know as the quintessential cuckoo clock derives from a design of Friedrich Eisenlohr, an architect who entered a design contest for a new cuckoo clock modeled after a railroad house.  The intricate wood carvings and ornamentations would come later, but would become the standard during the heyday of cuckoo clocks in the 19th century.  This is still the clock that dominates what is sold in the Back Forest region -- at least for tourists-- although you have to be careful to make sure you are buying one that is actually hand-carved and not mass produced.  We saw large clocks such as those show here selling for well in excess of $1,000.  Needless to say, that will not be our souvenir this year.