The story of clock making in the Black Forest begins around 1630. People there had always
crafted and carved using the local wood that was one of the few natural resources in the area, especially It
must have happened around 1630 that a peddler who sold glass from the Black Forest to foreign countries,
returned with a clock, perhaps from the land of Böhmen (today's Czech Republic). Somebody in the Black
Forest must have been fascinated by this technical wonder that kept time much better than the hourglass or
clock making.
Those first clocks were rather primitive. They used toothed wheels made of wood and simple stones as
weights. Instead of a pendulum, they used a piece of wood called a "Waag" that moved forward and back
above the clock dial, to make the clock keep time.
Black Forest area, usually the oldest son of a farmer inherited the farm; his siblings only got a small piece of
land. Those "Häuslers" had to work for other farmers to survive during the winter-months, and clock making in
the high Black Forest.
People in the Black Forest continued to improve their clocks. Clock-peddlers traveling to different regions
heard about new technology that was developed elsewhere. In 1712 Friedrich Dilger from the small village of
Urach went to France for a whole year. He brought back new ideas and tools, and used his new skills in
building clocks.
Over a period of time, people in the Black Forest began specializing on certain
aspects of clock making. There were carvers, carpenters making the cases,
painters (most clocks of that time were flat and painted, and looked quite similar
to today's "Black Forest Wall Clocks") and manufacturers of chains and toothed
wheels.Some clocks were made with moving figures, for example, a turning
couple or a butcher together with a cow. In 1738 Franz Ketterer from the village
of Schönwald was the first to build a cuckoo for his clocks. At this time there
were large artist's clocks with a calling rooster in towns like Prague, Heilbronn,
Berne and Strasbourg. Maybe they were the inspiration
for Ketterer to build his cuckoo clock. Making a clock call like a cuckoo was
easier than making it call like a rooster, but still it must have been quite difficult to
develop this. The call of the cuckoo was made the same way it is today:
two bellows send air through pipes. A similar technology was already in use for
church-organs at this time. So, Ketterer's clocks were the first with the cuckoo
behind the small door that opens on the hour and half hour.
Clock making became more and more important for the rather poor Black Forest area. It is known for example
that in 1808 in Triberg, and the surrounding villages, 790 of 9013 inhabitants were involved in the
clock-making. In 1850 the Herzog (Duke) of Baden founded a School for clock-making in Furtwangen, where
students learned math and drawing as well as making cases and movements for the clocks.
The most valuable Black Forest clock is the "world-time-clock", which was built in 1787. It is located today in
the German clock museum in Furtwangen.
Besides the cuckoo clocks, many other types of clocks were made in the Black Forest, from little models with
spring movements, up to large clocks for the towers of churches.
One last thing to be mentioned is the origin of the "Bahnhäusle" clocks. When building the Railroad through
the rocky Black Forest area around 1860, it was necessary to build many tunnels. For this, skilled
tunnel-builders from Italy were hired, and they brought their way of life as well as their architecture with them.
Alongside the railroad, lookout buildings were made, the so-called "Bahnwärterhäusles" which show the foreign
influence. Adorned with wild grape vines, they were the inspiration for this special type of cuckoo clocks.
crafted and carved using the local wood that was one of the few natural resources in the area, especially It
must have happened around 1630 that a peddler who sold glass from the Black Forest to foreign countries,
returned with a clock, perhaps from the land of Böhmen (today's Czech Republic). Somebody in the Black
Forest must have been fascinated by this technical wonder that kept time much better than the hourglass or
clock making.
Those first clocks were rather primitive. They used toothed wheels made of wood and simple stones as
weights. Instead of a pendulum, they used a piece of wood called a "Waag" that moved forward and back
above the clock dial, to make the clock keep time.
Black Forest area, usually the oldest son of a farmer inherited the farm; his siblings only got a small piece of
land. Those "Häuslers" had to work for other farmers to survive during the winter-months, and clock making in
the high Black Forest.
People in the Black Forest continued to improve their clocks. Clock-peddlers traveling to different regions
heard about new technology that was developed elsewhere. In 1712 Friedrich Dilger from the small village of
Urach went to France for a whole year. He brought back new ideas and tools, and used his new skills in
building clocks.
Over a period of time, people in the Black Forest began specializing on certain
aspects of clock making. There were carvers, carpenters making the cases,
painters (most clocks of that time were flat and painted, and looked quite similar
to today's "Black Forest Wall Clocks") and manufacturers of chains and toothed
wheels.Some clocks were made with moving figures, for example, a turning
couple or a butcher together with a cow. In 1738 Franz Ketterer from the village
of Schönwald was the first to build a cuckoo for his clocks. At this time there
were large artist's clocks with a calling rooster in towns like Prague, Heilbronn,
Berne and Strasbourg. Maybe they were the inspiration
for Ketterer to build his cuckoo clock. Making a clock call like a cuckoo was
easier than making it call like a rooster, but still it must have been quite difficult to
develop this. The call of the cuckoo was made the same way it is today:
two bellows send air through pipes. A similar technology was already in use for
church-organs at this time. So, Ketterer's clocks were the first with the cuckoo
behind the small door that opens on the hour and half hour.
Clock making became more and more important for the rather poor Black Forest area. It is known for example
that in 1808 in Triberg, and the surrounding villages, 790 of 9013 inhabitants were involved in the
clock-making. In 1850 the Herzog (Duke) of Baden founded a School for clock-making in Furtwangen, where
students learned math and drawing as well as making cases and movements for the clocks.
The most valuable Black Forest clock is the "world-time-clock", which was built in 1787. It is located today in
the German clock museum in Furtwangen.
Besides the cuckoo clocks, many other types of clocks were made in the Black Forest, from little models with
spring movements, up to large clocks for the towers of churches.
One last thing to be mentioned is the origin of the "Bahnhäusle" clocks. When building the Railroad through
the rocky Black Forest area around 1860, it was necessary to build many tunnels. For this, skilled
tunnel-builders from Italy were hired, and they brought their way of life as well as their architecture with them.
Alongside the railroad, lookout buildings were made, the so-called "Bahnwärterhäusles" which show the foreign
influence. Adorned with wild grape vines, they were the inspiration for this special type of cuckoo clocks.
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"We have all the time for you"