Cuckoo Clocks Blog

The Black Forest is easily one of the most famous regions of Germany. Especially the Cuckoo Clocks and the world famous Black Forest ham are responsible for the regions popularity.

Besides these goods, the Black Forest also has a remarkable landscape to offer. Therefore, it attracts a lot of foreign as well as German tourists. Many of them travel to the Black Forest during winter season: Besides the rustic coziness, a lot of possibilities for any kind of winter sport are given.

The center is certainly the area around the highest Black Forest-Mountain, the Feldberg. 16 lifts and 55km of prepared slopes are waiting for the alpinist – for every level, from beginner to pro. If alpine skiing is not enough for you, you can choose between a wide variety of other snow-related activities: Snowshoeing, for example, or the new trend sport of Snowkiting. There is also a big Snowpark for those who prefer to ride the mountains with only one board under their feet. And if that it is way too much exercise for you, you can also start with the Apres-Ski right away.

Speaking of boards: When you fan of the narrow ones, don’t worry either. The Black Forest has more than 170 tracks for Cross Country skiers prepared. On more than 1200km, you can discover the whole region on your ‘Bretterl’ and explore the stunningly beautiful nature first hand. You should check the snow-conditions before you start your day, of course. But especially in the higher regions, such as around the Feldberg, enough snow is pretty much guaranteed in winter.

To bring some variety into your vacation, the Musuem of Ski of the Black Forest is one of the many cultural possibilities the Black Forest has to offer. It shows the history of skiing, from its beginnings to pro-sport.

A visit to the Black Forest is definitely something you should put on your Bucket List – you will experience a visit that combines winter-sport, relaxation, culinary highlights as well as cultural possibilities.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-BeGh3U_4I

Cuckoo Clocks are one of the most famous things that people throughout the world associate with Germany. They go way back and were first mentioned in the 17^th century. But still in today’s 21th century, they are very popular with Germans and tourists alike and can be found in countless living-rooms and kitchens around the globe. No piece of furniture represents Germany as much as the typical Cuckoo Clocks, and families on all five continents bring a piece of German culture and tradition into their homes like that.

Despite their long history, the Cuckoo manufacturers are willing to embrace innovations, both in the technical as well as in the creative field.

Usually, you decide between two kinds of Cuckoo-Clocks: The ones with an 1-day-movement, and the ones with an 8-day-movement. That means that you have to wind up your clock either daily or weekly.  They are running mechanically without any energy support. Meanwhile, some clock-maker are producing clocks with the newer Quartz-technology.

Trenkle Clocks is a typical, traditional Clock-company of the Black Forest. From the hands to the clock face to the movement, every little detail is produced by Trenkle self. Trenkle is also a company that is leading when it comes to new things – whether it is design or technical gadgets.  Newer clocks by Trenkle for example are usually equipped with a quartz-movement run by batteries. That has the advantage that they just keep on running, even when you’re absent for a while. When you return after a vacation for example, you do not have to wind up and re-set your clock.

Trenkle also offers a variation of colors for the newer carved models of their clocks. Beside the traditional, wooden colored clock, you can also purchase them in more modern colors such as pink or blue for example.

Today’s Cuckoo Fans can choose between a huge number of different clocks.  In our Cuckoo Palace, both fans of the traditional as well as of the modern clocks will find the clocks of their dreams – and those who like both kinds will find beautiful combinations of the old and the new.

When it comes to Cuckoo clocks, you can roughly divide them in four categories: Cuckoo Clocks Chalet Style, in Antique-Style, Shield clocks and Carved Clocks. The latter ones are probably the oldest variation of the Cuckoo Clock. They have been produced from the 18^th century on in the Black Forest. To create such a masterpiece, lot of skill and training is needed. Also, you need experience with the material that is wood.

In the traditional clock manufactures of the Black Forest, wonderful masterpieces are carved. For example the majestic Cuckoo Clock 8-day-movement Carved-Style 88cm by Anton Schneider: It is inspired by the forest and the numerous hunters of the region. Also filled with motives of the forest is the Cuckoo Clock 8-day-movement Carved-Style 78cm by Anton Schneider: Deer, birds and a rabbit symbolize the regional wildlife of the black forest, while the whole clock is surrounded by traditional oak leaves. Both clocks also have a hunting horn that surrounds the clock face.

But not only hunting provides inspiration for the Cuckoo Clocks Carved Style: The Cuckoo Clock 8-day-movement Carved-Style 34cm by Anton Schneider is decorated with a Cuckoo-bird on top surrounded with beautiful, colorful flowers. It is the perfect clock for everyone who wants to bring the memory of a Black Forest summer back to their homes.

While the Cuckoo Clocks Chalet Style often picture the rural life that surrounds the farmhouses, the Cuckoo Clocks Carved Style are more imbued by the life inside the woods: wild animals, the leaves of the trees and symbols of the huntsmen show the affinity of the inhabitants to their beloved Black Forest.

Cuckoo Clocks Chalet-Style are probably the most popular kind of Cuckoo Clocks. As the name already tells you, these Clocks are designed like a typical Black Forest Home, the Chalet. There are no limits for the clockmakers when it comes to design and therefore, the Chalet-Cuckoo Clocks are often extensively featured. Besides the houses that are already created with lots of details, there are also often the inhabitants of the Chalet included in the scenery. Even the animals of the Farms are often pictured and play their role in the setting. Since Cucoo Clocks have a long tradition, a lot of scenes of the daily life of the inhabitants of the Black Forest have been portrayed on countless Cuckoo Clocks Chalet-Style.

The producers make sure that these scenes are illustrated with lots of details – and love. You can see this love especially in the big Cuckoo Clocks Chalet Style, for example in the 8-day movement Cuckoo Clock Chalet Style 49cm by Anton Schneider. A typical Black Forest house already has very intensively carved details when it comes to the woodwork such as the windows, fence or the balcony. The clockmakers pick up these details and carve their clocks in the same, careful way; very rich in details. The landlord is busy fishing in his own pond and is watched by the ducks.

A lot of movement starts every thirty minutes: After the mandatory Cuckoo call, elements such as the fisher, the ducks and the mill wheel start to move. Different melodies are played each hour. A magnificent spectacle, that brings joy to your home even after several years.

The focus is on the lumber industry in the 8-day movement Cuckoo Clock Chalet-Style 30cm by Anton Schneider. Two lumbermen are busy sawing a trunk in to pieces that fit into the sawing machine on the right side. Lumber industry has a long tradition in the Black Forest, as you can see in how important carved wood work is. Also the famous Black Forest Houses were breed to help carry the heavy trunks back to the farmyard.

After a long day of work either on the farms or in the woods, the people in the Black Forest loved to call it a day with a fresh mug of beer. To enjoy the freshly brewed beer, people usually meet at the Biergarten (the beergarden). The 8-day movement Cuckoo Clock Chalet-Style 44cm by Anton Schneider portrays such a scene: While the just mentioned Black Forest Horses carry new barrels of beer to the Biergarten, two workers are already enjoying their well-deserved beer. The waitress is already bringing more beer, since more guests are expected soon. This clock also wins you over with lovely details which make you feel as being part of the scenery. If you love the Black Forest, but don’t have the possibility to live there, these clocks are the perfect alternative to bring a little piece of the Black Forest into your home.

In our last blog post, we introduced some new products to you with the 1-day-movement Cuckoo Clocks in Chalet Style by Anton Schneider. Today’s topic is their ‘big sibling’, the Cuckoo clocks Chalet Style with 8-day-movement. That means that you only have to wind them up every 8 days. They are also produced by Anton Schneider who is one of the producers with the longest tradition when it comes to Cuckoo Clocks. The company was founded in 1848 and has since then expanded and modernized – yet all the woodwork of the clocks is still done by handcraft. ‘Anton Schneider Schwarzwälder Uhren’ trains young employees so they become whittler and can carry on with this tradition.

Anton Schneider now offers around 300 different Cuckoo clocks, so there is something for every taste and every price-category. The royal league of Cuckoo clocks and the figurehead of the producers are the Cuckoo clocks in Chalet Style. They are replicas of the typical Black Forest Farmhouses. Chalet Style Cuckoo Clocks often show scenes of the daily life, such as the farmer being busy chopping wood as seen with the Cuckoo clock 8-day-movement  Chalet Style 44cm by Anton Schneider. The chalets have all the attributes that are typical for a Black Forest Farmhouse. Even the folding shutters of the windows are lovely designed and carved by hand (you can see these lovely details especially with the Cuckoo Clock 8-day-movement Chalet-Style 29,5cm by Anton Schneider or Cuckoo Clock 8-day-movement 40cm Chalet Style by Anton Schneider). Whether it is a scene of the farmer’s daily work or of a get-together after work (as in the Cuckoo Clock 8-day-movement 36cm Chalet Style by Anton Schneider) – the rural life of the Black Forest farmers and foresters still provides the inspiration for today’s Chalet Cuckoo Clocks.

But there have also been innovations with the traditional-styled Cuckoo clocks. From one of the most famous producers from the Black Forest, Anton Schneider, we have several new additions to the Cuckoo palace. Today you are going to be introduced to the additions with a 1-day-movement in Chalet Style. 1-day movement means that the clocks have a mechanical movement which has to be winded up every day; Chalet-Style means that the Cuckoo clocks have the design of typical Farmers houses of the Black Forest .
Made out of a light-colored wood, the Cuckoo Clock Chalet Style 1-day movement 26cm by Anton Schneider shows typical Black-Forest scenery. You can see a peasant who chops wood. His dog gives him company – a typical setting of a traditional Black Forest home. This typical setting was also the motive for the Cuckoo clock Chalet Style 35cm by Anton Schneider. This clock is designed in a more colorful way though. Both clocks have moving elements such as the lumberjack, the cuckoo or the pedal.

Coming back from a successful day in the woods is the hunter in the Cuckoo clock 1 day movement 28cm by Anton Schneider. He is greeted by his donkey and his dog. This clock also has moving elements, who announce the hourly change.

The last clock in this category is the Cuckoo Clock 1-day-movement 29cm by Anton Schneider. The whole family has assembled in front of their typical Black Forest home. The traditional Black Forest Dancers the mill wheel and the little goat are the moving elements of this beautiful clock.

This intricate chalet style mechanical cuckoo clock by Hekas is painstakingly produced in the Black Forest
region of Germany. Featuring several moving elements, the cuckoo plays on the hour and the half hour, along with one of two songs: “In Muenchen steht ein Hofbraeuhaus” and “Trink Bruederlein Trink.” The clock is almost square at 30 cm (12 in.) high and 34 cm (13 in.) wide and weighs in at 5 kg (just over 11 pounds).

The clock is shaped like a house, or chalet, with window boxes full of flowers. At the top, just under the roof, the cuckoo waits behind two little doors. Just below it, four dancers move along a balcony at the hour and half hour. On the bottom level, two men drink beer while a water wheel turns on the left. All figurines are hand-painted.

Every movement, from the clock hands and pendulum to the cuckoo and dancers is done mechanically. Instead of using batteries or electricity, this one-day-movement clock must be wound once a day to keep moving. This simple job consists of pulling the chains down to their full length. A mechanical night shutoff switch is located on the side in case the music and cuckoo sound are disturbing any sleepers.

The Black Forest region has been famous for its delicately carved cuckoo clocks since the early eighteenth century. This clock is designed and produced by Hekas, which has been managed by
three generations of the Kammerer family since its founding in 1938.

The 1-day-movement carved-style 21cm cuckoo clock by Hekas is a charming clock designed to become an everyday fixture in your home. Cuckoo clocks have different types of clockworks and this clock has a 1-day movement, meaning it needs to be wound up daily in order to keep the proper time.

This clock is designed and created by the world renowned Hekas Company – a premier clock making company specializing in cuckoo clocks and wood mechanics – two essentials in the production of fine clocks. The Hekas Company sets the standards in high-quality clocks that will be treasured for generations.

The 1-day-movement carved-style 21cm cuckoo clock by Hekas does not play music but the cuckoo bird calls every half and ever full hour. The cuckoo bird and the pendulum are visibly moving parts on this cuckoo clock.

Enjoy the details of this finely carved style clock. This cuckoo clock is entirely hand carved and offers precision detail that showcases the amount of work and artistic ability that goes into each clock. The clock resembles a non-chalet style house with a pitched roof and carvings of crosses, leaves and a bird. Traditional pine cone weights are an important mechanism of the clock and are also decorative and stylish. The cuckoo bird lets out a significant chirping cuckoo promptly throughout the day.

Black forest cuckoo clocks originated in Schonwald, Germany beginning in the 18 th century. Black forest clocks are intricate in design and represent some of the world’s greatest craftsmanship of wooden cuckoo clocks. Aside of the producers of this Hekas clock, there are several fine manufacturers of cuckoo clocks including Hoenes, Hubert Herr, Trenkle, August Schwer and Anton Schneider.

This original chalet style cuckoo clock features a charming cottage flanked by fir trees. A closer look will reveal some other wonderfully crafted details, including a miniature water pump, wood pile, ladder, and other items one would find in such a setting. Tiny hearts are carved in the little shutters on each window. The clock is decorated with colorful flowers, the well-known Edelweiss among them. The gentle tick-tock and the sweet chirp of the cuckoo bird at the top of the hour are well-known and beloved sounds. This clock only needs to be wound about once a week.

Many cuckoo clocks are made in a factory with parts manufactured by a machine. Not so with this original clock.
It and others made by companies who are members of the Black Forest Clock Association are handcrafted with traditional tools and materials in Germany’s Black Forest. Some clocks are fancier and some are more simple, but they each have beauty and elegance unsurpassed by factory-made look-alikes. A genuine Black Forest cuckoo clock will always prompt a smile from anyone who watches it work.

The maker of this particular model is a company called Hekas, founded in 1938. Hekas cuckoo clocks are made by skilled craftsmen using traditional methods and the finest materials. Each clock is inspected thoroughly to ensure quality performance and accuracy. Long-time collectors and first-time tourists alike will be pleased when they choose to purchase a cuckoo clock made by Hekas. Only a handful of companies exist that know the art and produce pieces of this quality.

Before purchasing a cuckoo clock from an online store, read
all the information to ensure the clock is of genuine Black Forest Clocks quality and handcrafted by a certified Black Forest Clock producer. Not all online store suppliers list
Hekas Cuckoo clocks or Kammerer Hekas cuckoo clock as companies represented.

Although the first cuckoo clock dates back to 1629, genuine Black Forest Clocks have been individually crafted by Hekas Cuckoo clocks since 1938. After 70 years devoted to the production of handcrafted, rigorously inspected clocks, in 1998, the company name became Kammerer Hekas cuckoo clock under third-generation Krammer leadership.

Genuine Hekas Cuckoo clocks have a certificate indicating
the craftsman is a member of the Black Forest Clock Association. The company guarantees each clock case and face are individually crafted and decorated in-house. When completed, each clock is meticulously inspected for overall appearance. Hekas Cuckoo clocks are tested for 12 to 24 hours to ensure operation and precision of functionality before being shipped to distributors licensed in over 40 countries around the globe.

A true Kammer Hekas cuckoo clock displays shingles that have been individually crafted and placed atop a typical chalet-style house. In terms of sound, two factors distinguish a Kammerer Hekas cuckoo clock. A Kammerer Hekas cuckoo clock plays one of two German folk songs with the most recognizable one being “Edelweiss.” Unless there is a slight pause between the “cu” and the “ckoo”, the sound was produced via a tape recording as opposed to being generated by bellows.